The Return
by Saracen RedHawk
Summary: A legacy of warriors spanning centuries is about to be revived. The latest member, a young man who has doesn't have the first clue about his heritage, is about to have his life changed forever...
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Hi there everyone. This fic is actually a rewrite of my very first fic I posted two years ago. Its title was "The Day I Met Rosette Christopher." At the time I was still very much an amateur at the whole fanfic authoring thing. Man, I made a lot of mistakes. At first it looked like everyone was going well: I got good reviews that were full of praise for what I was doing. However, I now realize that it wasn't the best time to want to experiment. You see, I had written that fic in the first person perspective, and too be honest, I suck at the first person perspective. When I look back on it all, it was a pretty poor effort. Now it may sound like I'm being hard on myself, but sometimes a writer has to be his own critic. I guess I was motivated by the need to be different. However, in doing so I had done myself an injustice. I guess that you don't really need to be that different. If you know you've done your best then usually people will read your fic. As a side note, those who are in the know will recognize me as the author of the fic "The Girl Next Door", another Chrono Crusade fic.

In rewriting my first story I've also given it a much shorter title. The original title was too much of a mouthful. I've also stuck to the original plot mostly, albeit with a few changes. I've decided to make the chapters much longer. Also, expect some strong language her and there. The biggest change is that I've now gone back to what I write best, and that's the third person perspective. I hope that in rewriting the original fic that the people who have read it will agree this effort is much better than the original and that newcomers will enjoy it as well. To all the new people: at first the plot might not make sense but hang in there, all will be revealed in due time. That said, here's chapter one, enjoy!

The Return

Life in the thirteenth century was often marked by wars and violence, as well as religious upheaval and superstition. Every event had some kind of cause, whether it be divine decree or infernal interference from some or other evil force. Yet unknown to the people of the era, a battle would take place that would finally be seen through to its conclusion only centuries later and would forge a legacy of warriors such as the world had never seen. Indeed, the world would never know about them, for these men and their descendants carried on their fight in secret, away from the eyes of those who wouldn't understand.

It all began with one humble knight in the time of the Crusades. No one knew his origin, yet he would be the start of the legacy that would span the ages. His first battle against the unseen forces of darkness would also be his greatest, yet it would not be finished until many centuries later.

_Somewhere in Europe, mid-thirteenth century…_

A lone knight surveyed the battlefield; before him laid his defeated opponent, a tall demon with long horns possessed of unprecedented power and unholy ambition. Yet he knew that this fight was far from over. His opponent was defeated, but not slain.

The knight stood over the demon, his body aching all over. It was easily one of the most intense battles he had ever experienced in his whole life, far different from his time in the Crusades, yet his faith had carried him through.

Smiling, he looked up into the blue yonder, and silently gave thanks to God and all that was good for his victory. He was soon joined by a young monk who had witnessed the battle.

"My lord", the young monk said, "it was a battle worthy of song and legend! Never before had I seen its like!"

"Thank you", the knight said, "but it was not my own strength that led to victory. The strength I needed for the fight was merely borrowed to me, to use until such as time as it shall be taken. Remember, young monk, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, and I suspect it shall be no different with me, for I am but a man of flesh and bone. Wherever my Lord sends me, there I shall go."

"Lord Knight, your humble spirit is an inspiration to all! Permit me to write of this battle and your exploits! Surely it should be preserved for future generations to read and marvel over!"

"If such is your fancy, I shall not stand in your way, for this is not the last time we shall meet, of that I am certain. But now, there is a fallen enemy who demands my ministrations."

Having said that, he walked over to the demon. He knew he did not have the power to completely destroy his enemy, and he could not understand the reason for this. Why would God, Who laid this task upon him, allow the demon to live? Yet he did not trouble himself over it any further. He knew what he had to do…

_Many years later…_

Much time had passed, and the young monk was not so young anymore, his face serving as a silent witness. Wrinkles were starting to appear, and even the hair on his head was showing signs of thinning and turning grey. Yet for all his time spent traveling, he had become so much wiser. The dirt road he was on led to the residence of the same knight who defeated that demon so long ago. He had a reason for visiting his friend; he had nearly finished writing of the knight's exploits and merely wished to share it with him.

The trip had been long and exhausting, but soon he could make out the knight's estate in the distance, a welcome sight to the weary traveler. His donkey, which served as his mount, was not so young anymore either, and would soon need shelter and food.

Upon arriving at the estate, the monk received a warm welcome, and soon he and the knight were talking about old times. This they kept up until the late hours of the night.

"Ah, old friend", the knight said, "So much time has passed since the day we first met. You and I were both so young, yet look at us now."

"Age is nothing to be ashamed of, lord knight. Grey hair is a like a crown of wisdom on our heads, and wisdom is more precious than gold."

"Yes…yes, that is true. But before we retire for the night, there is one last matter that must be discussed."

"What ails thee, old friend?"

"You have seen my son, have you not?"

"Aye, indeed I have, and he is a fine lad. Only eighteen years of age, yet he exhibits the same greatness as his father."

"I had already begun teaching him my ways when he was but a child. And yet there is still so much to teach him, and I fear my time is short."

"Old friend…?"

The knight stood up from his chair, walked over the open window, and stared outside before continuing his tale. "That hell spawn I defeated…he is still out there. Even now he plots his revenge on me."

"Are you certain?"

"I wish I was wrong, but I fear it is not so. I must tell you this: Last night, an angel appeared to me and told me that I am the first yet I am not to be the last. Long had I struggled with the meaning of the message but now it is clear to me. My son is destined to take up the sword against the spawn of hell, just like I was. But it shall not end with him either, for his son shall do the same, and so shall his son, until the very end of the word itself."

As the knight had predicted, he died not long after of natural causes and his son took his place, and when his time was done, so did his son, and so on into the centuries to be…

_700 years later, on the morning of June 6__th__, 1944, on an amphibious landing craft in the English Channel…_

The nature of warfare had changed much since the time of the mysterious knight. No longer was warfare man on man, up close and personal. Advances in firearms had rendered that kind of warfare obsolete long ago. Modern weapons were now capable of destruction far beyond what the Crusaders of so many centuries ago could ever have foreseen.

But every war has its casualties, and on this morning of June 6th, 1944, it would be no different. Some would live and some would die, that was just the way it was.

The whole world, it seemed, was at war, a war that would come to be known as the most costly and devastating war in human history. It even had two sides: Axis and Allies, with the Allies fighting the Axis for the cause of freedom. At least, that was what Allied propaganda tried to tell the thousands of Allied soldiers who gave their lives for the cause.

The fighting had gone on for so long and had been so brutal and gruesome that many soldiers no longer cared anymore. All they knew that for every one of the enemy they killed, there was another one to kill, and another, and another, while the enemy tried to kill them as well. It had really come down to killing in its simplest form, a slaughter not so different from what the Crusaders had experienced. Victory only meant that soon there would be another battle to fight until the far off day that the Axis forces would be annihilated or surrendered.

At this point in the war Germany, one of the member nations of the Axis alliance, had taken many a defeat and now the Allies were standing on their very doorstep. Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious assault ever launched, was well underway. Ships loaded with troops from Britain, Canada and the United States were embarking from England, speeding towards the French coast to start the invasion into occupied Europe itself. The "Atlantic Wall", the name given for the defenses constructed along the French coastline, was about to be breached…

None of them could have known that by the end of the day, over a thousand of them would have lost their lives on that stretch of beach. As if expecting the slaughter to come, the sky itself appeared sad as the clouds gathered overhead, creating a feeling of foreboding.

Nobody ever said a soldier's life was easy, and for a soldier on board an amphibious landing craft on a rough sea it was no picnic. The motion of the waves tossing the small craft around made more than a few of them lose their breakfasts. The rest just waited for the moment the ramp would be lowered and they charged across the beach in the face of overwhelming defenses. One of the soldiers on board one of the craft looked at his comrades, and reminded himself that today might be the last time he would see any of them; it might also be his turn today. The thought made him grip his weapon tighter as if it would be his salvation.

This same soldier thought back on his life thus far. Unfortunately, it offered him little comfort.

"_How did it all end up here on this godforsaken steel coffin? Man, times were so much simpler when I was still a kid back in Chicago. No…that's a lie. It wasn't much better."_

He was born James Michael Patterson in the year 1923 but as long as he could remember everyone called him Jim or Jimmy. His childhood and teen years were not some of the happiest times in his life. He lost both parents when he was but a small child of six. His father was suspected to have been involved in the organized crime syndicates that plagued Chicago during the 1920's but his talent for crime was not overly praised by his peers. He made mistakes, costly mistakes that warranted the gang he worked for removing him from the picture once and for all. His continued existence was a risk they could no longer afford to take.

His mother, when she heard the news of her husband's death, was overcome with grief. It would be the final nail in her coffin, because she was given to ill health. She would constantly be stricken with some or other disease. This, added with the shock from the loss of her husband, would be too much for her to handle, and not long after she joined him in death, leaving their young son behind.

Fortunately, fate would not be so cruel as to leave him alone in the world with no one to care for him. The task of raising him would fall to his grandparents. However, the untimely death of his parents would be followed by a worldwide economic disaster that would be forever known as the Great Depression. Millions of people the world over would lose their jobs and their livelihoods. Young Jim and his grandparents somehow weathered the storm but an economic recession is not an ideal time to want to raise a child, especially during the 1930's in Chicago.

Young Jim would develop a headstrong attitude during his teen years, and would often defy his grandparents and do exactly what he wanted when he wanted. School was for losers; he had better things to do. It wasn't like there was any chance of him getting an honest job during the Depression anyway, so what did he need an education for? Like many young men his age, the life of a gangster was very alluring. What they saw was the expensive Italian suits, the expensive cars, and the respect everyone in the lower social classes had for those involved in organized crime. However, they were too spellbound by outside appearances to care much about what was even involved in getting the expensive suits, the expensive cars, and the respect. Anything was better than living the life they had now.

Jim was no different to those young men, and had many opportunities to join one of the local gangs and live that life. But two things always kept him from going down that path fully: his conscience, which by some miracle was still functioning, and his grandparents. For all the grief and heartbreak he caused his grandparents, he still loved them. He knew that choosing the gangster's life would be too much for them to handle; it might even break them completely. They knew about his connections to the gangs and feared he would become like his father. Because of this, he eventually chose not to go down that path.

But things aren't always that simple. Hanging around on any one gang's turf will definitely make a rival gang think your one of them, especially if you're often seen at their hangout. Jim had no way of knowing that in the year of his eighteenth birthday, 1941, he would be a victim of gang violence. Rival gangs didn't like the encroachment on their territory, and it was Jim's rotten luck to be at the target gang's hangout when the attack happened. He was lucky to be alive; multiple gunshot wounds are nothing to scoff at.

Two weeks spent in the local hospital's intensive care unit was the result. The doctors all agreed: it was a miracle he even made it to the hospital alive after the police arrived on the scene and called for an ambulance. One might say his guardian angel was working overtime that day. This was Jim's first time under fire, but it was not to be his last. When he was discharged from the hospital, his grandparents handed him an envelope as soon as he set foot through the door of their house. In it was a recruitment letter; he had been drafted into the U.S Army and had to report for duty in a week's time at the nearest military base.

It came as a shock to them all. They knew what had been happening in Europe for the last two years: Germany had rearmed its military machine under Hitler's leadership and its forces had occupied most of the European mainland. Only Britain still held out, but it would not be able to do so much longer. Washington kept an eye on what was happening and even though the U.S was not directly in the fighting yet, it didn't stop them from drafting thousands of young men and other civilians into the armed forces. Rumors had been doing the rounds that German submarines had been sinking American shipping and that the Coast Guard had sighted such craft near the American coastline. Whereas a few years before the American populace didn't really care about Hitler's rise to power, now the threat of Nazism was becoming very real very fast.

Jim didn't really have a choice. The next week he packed his few possessions into a suitcase and boarded a train bound for the military base he was supposed to report at. Upon arrival, he soon learned what it meant to have a drill sergeant insult you day and night. Long marches in full gear and hard training were all part of the daily routine yet it would turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Being so far away from home and in a different environment gave him time to think about his life thus far. Because of this he realized that he needed to make a few changes; his old lifestyle just wasn't going to cut it anymore.

But the threat of war was looming on the horizon and became a reality on the morning of December 7th, 1941. The soldiers and civilians stationed at the Pacific naval base of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii had no way of knowing that they would be attacked by naval forces from Japan. At the end of the day three thousand soldiers and civilians had lost their lives, and the Pacific fleet lay in ruin. The result was that the American people, after having heard the news, demanded revenge for this unprovoked, aggressive act of war. The next day an angry President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan and her allies. Jim would be seeing some action soon.

Early the next year Jim's unit, the 34th Infantry Division, was shipped off to Ireland, and was some of the first U.S infantry units to arrive in Europe. Many of them were eager to get into combat, but it would be a long wait before they got the opportunity. After a few months, they heard of a new special unit being formed from the soldiers already stationed there. This unit, led by Colonel William Orlando Darby, was to be called the Rangers. The promise of action and adventure lured many a young soldier to join, and Jim was no exception. He was tired of sitting around doing nothing while others were out there fighting.

Those who joined up were sent to Scotland to a place called Achnacarry for intensive training. The training they had to endure was even harder than regular Army training, and not everyone made the grade. The Rangers were meant to be superiors soldiers, and soon those who were the toughest, the strongest and the fastest were all that remained. Jim was one of them. There were times he thought of giving up, but he had run away from his problems enough times in his life. He endured because he wanted to make a fresh start and prove to himself that he was capable of finishing what he started.

However, all the training in the world could not have prepared him for what he experienced during his first time in combat. On that day he saw two men no older than he was die in front of his very eyes. When it was over, the reality set in: the same thing could have happened to him. It might as well have been him whose number had been called. For the first time in his life, he was really scared.

It wasn't that Jim was heartless or didn't care; he just didn't want to commit to any kind of friendship with any of the other soldiers during his tour of duty. His logic told him that if he had no friends he wouldn't feel devastated if any of them were killed in combat. In short, he didn't want to set himself up for any emotional trauma. He might have seemed emotionally distant to his fellow soldiers, but he had his reasons. It really amazed him how they talked about what they were planning on doing with their lives after the war was over. Weren't they scared? Didn't they realize how quickly death could claim them?

Jim just did what he was trained to do: to be a soldier and to deal out death to an enemy that wanted him dead as well. Because of his fears of a premature demise, he often fought like it was his last day on earth, and that made him dangerous. His attitude was "get them before they even have a chance to get me" and in the event they did get him he was sure as hell taking a few of them with him.

His reminiscing was brought to an abrupt end when he heard the voice of his squad leader over the sound of the waves crashing against the sides of the landing craft. Reality quickly made it apparent that he was no longer on a journey through his own memories, but on board with members of the 5th Rangers, the outfit he belonged to, heading towards a beach military intelligence had designated as Omaha.

"Alright, listen up", the squad leader, Sergeant Baker, said. "Our rendezvous point is the shingle on the far end of the beach. As soon as we land, use the tank barriers and anything else you can find as cover. Keep moving and you should be fine. I'll see you all at the shingle."

The Ranger next to Jim turned to him and with a smile said, "You know, he's got a nasty habit of making this shit sound easy."

Jim, however, had withdrawn into himself again. The beach was getting closer and closer. It was killing time; he had to be sharp, had to be focused. One slip-up could mean the difference between life and death. He readied his weapon and steeled himself for what was to come.

All of a sudden, an explosion rocked the left side of the landing craft. A German artillery shell had found its target and destroyed the craft next to Jim's. The men inside never had a chance. By now, the German defenders were alerted to the presence of the invaders heading towards the beach and were preparing their defenses. Barely seconds later machinegun fire peppered the craft making everyone inside duck for fear of getting hit. Artillery fire was falling like rain all around them now.

"30 seconds, Yanks! God be with you!", the skipper of the craft, obviously British, shouted, letting them know how much time they had before they had to exit. Jim closed his eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. Now was not the time to be either scared or nervous.

The craft made a slight bump before it came to a halt on the beach where sand met water. Almost instantaneously, the ramp was lowered and they all charged forward, but as soon as they did, the soldiers in front were riddled with bullets from the German machineguns. Jim was fortunate to have been one of the last to exit because it gave them a gap while the machineguns found new targets. By now the beach was littered with the bodies of fallen soldiers, some dead and some alive but suffering from grievous wounds. Some were floating in the shallow water, their blood coloring it a crimson red. Those who were still alive and unharmed were scattered across the beach, hiding behind tank barriers. Jim found himself cover behind one of those barriers.

He looked at what was going from behind the barrier. The German defenders were deadly efficient at what they did best. Artillery shells kept pounding the sand and unceasing machinegun fire tore into it, ricocheting off the tank barriers. The screams of the wounded and dying filled the air.

Jim had been through a lot during his service in the Army and one might say he had seen it all. But this…this was a slaughter straight from a nightmare.

"_How the hell are we supposed to even get close to those bunkers? Those goddamn machineguns are having us for breakfast and if that wasn't enough, the artillery keeps pounding us to hell! This is insane!"_

Somewhere in the madness, he heard a soldier addressing his commanding officer. "Sarge, this is hopeless! We can't do this without the tanks! Where the hell are they?"

"Forget about any tank support 'cause they're all at the bottom of the Channel, and you can thank the Kraut artillery for that! We're on our own!"

"Then what do we, Sarge?"

"All we can do here is die! Now I suggest you shut the hell up and follow me if you wanna live!"

"_Yeah, real sound advice, Sarge."_

Jim's train of thought was interrupted when he felt a hand touch him on his shoulder. He turned to identify the owner of the hand and looked straight into the face of Sergeant Baker, who by some miracle had survived up until now. "Patterson, what the hell are you doing here? Our men are getting killed out there and you're sitting on your ass!"

"Sir, I…uh…"

"I don't have time for your excuses! Get on your feet, your squad needs you!"

Jim promptly did as he was told and followed his squad leader up the beach, dodging the incoming enemy fire and hiding behind whatever cover they could find. The worst was yet to come though: to reach the shingle, the designated rendezvous point, they had to sprint across open beach where the enemy gunners had a clear, unobstructed view.

Sergeant Baker turned to face Jim. "Okay, here's the deal: when the Kraut gunners reload their weapons, we run like hell. With any luck we'll make it to the shingle in one piece."

Jim looked at the shingle from their current position. He saw at least a few soldiers had made it there and were waiting for everyone else to join them. Between him and the shingle stood the Germans defenses. So close and yet so far.

Without warning, Sergeant Baker shouted, "Now's our chance! Get ready to run!"

So began their suicide sprint to what they hoped was their salvation from the hell they found themselves in. Jim couldn't remember the last time he had run this fast but right now he didn't care. Survival was the only pursuit, the only goal. As he was sprinting, an artillery shell exploded close enough to him to nearly give him a concussion. For a moment he stood there disoriented but that would prove to be fatal. The explosion was followed up by renewed machinegun fire that tore into the sand. The next thing he felt was a searing pain spreading through his left shoulder. Instinctively he used his remaining hand to cover his left shoulder but when he did so he felt something wet and sticky cover it. Upon inspection he found it covered in blood, his own blood. With a shock he realized: he had been hit!

Baker had seen what had happened and shouted to Jim to get down. The German gunners would no doubt try to finish the job. That assumption was proven correct when Jim was hit in his torso and right leg in rapid succession. The force of the bullets penetrating his body made him fall over backwards on the sand.

Ignoring the enemy fire, Baker was by his side quick as a flash. "Patterson! Can you hear me? Goddamn it, say something!"

Pain was Jim's whole world now, his very existence. He was losing blood fast. His breathing was rough and shallow. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he became yet another casualty statistic.

Using what little strength he could spare, he replied, "Sarge…leave me. I'm not…gonna make it."

"Don't talk, save your strength. I'm getting you out of here and finding you some help."

Seconds later, a concerned Baker was dragging him back to the tank barriers by the collar of his uniform. He propped Jim up against one of the barriers as best he could, faced him and said, "I'm gonna go find a medic. Now don't you dare die before I get back! That's an order!"

Even through the pain, Jim found that order ever so redundant in the situation he was in.

"_I don't think it's my choice if I live or die, Sarge._"

Now he was alone. The pain was everything now. Blood kept flowing from his wounds unceasingly. He didn't know what would kill him first: the blood loss or the pain, maybe both. Gradually he felt his strength leaving him, his vision becoming blurry and his hearing going down the same route.

"_Sarge, where are you?"_

His sergeant was nowhere near unfortunately. No one was there to comfort him, to keep his mind off the pain. Or so he thought…

"_So this…is how it ends. All alone. Grandma, Grandpa…I let you down. I'm sorry."_

What happened next was the last thing anyone would have expected. It had often been said that in your last moments, your brain tries to ease your pain by bombarding you with pleasant memories. But what was happening was too real to have been imagined. From out of nowhere, a sharp, heavenly light appeared above Jim. He looked up and to his amazement he thought he saw a human figure descend upon him from within the light. He was unable to get a good look because the light had become too sharp for him to see.

He didn't know why but gradually he started feeling calm. A feeling of serenity unlike anything he had ever experienced came over him. Slowly he opened his eyes. The light had disappeared, but if he still possessed the strength he would no doubt have jumped from sheer fright, for at his right a young girl was kneeling! A golden light was emanating from her, making her blonde hair shine brightly. Her lips were formed into a radiant smile and her eyes were color of the noblest of sapphires. Jim thought to himself that he could easily become lost in those pools of blue if he stared long enough. She was wearing what looked at the time like a nun's outfit, only slightly modified.

Now was not the time to admire some strange girl he had never met before, however. Rational thought took over; who was she? What was she doing here?

"_There aren't supposed to be any civilians anywhere near here. How'd she even get past the Krauts?"_

"I'm not a civilian, Jimmy."

Nothing could have hidden the amazement on his face after she had spoken the first words she had ever said to him. Somehow, she had read his mind and further more, she knew his nickname!

"How did you-"

"Do that?", she responded before he could finish his sentence. "There's more to me than meets the eye. Next you're going ask me who I am and what I'm doing here, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"You could say I'm your guardian angel in a way. I know everything about you. Ever since you were a little kid I've always been there watching over you."

Jim found this a bit hard to digest. "Guardian angel? And just how much do you know about me?"

"Well, where should I start? I know about the time you met up with Joey from down the street in your old neighborhood to try smoking for the first time. You nearly coughed your lungs out and since that day you haven't touched cigarettes again. I know about all the times you skipped school and all the times you lied to your grandparents. I was even there when you were shot during the gang attack three years ago. I even know about-"

"Okay, you've made your point! I believe you."

The mysterious girl smiled at him. "Glad I got your attention. By the way, I'm not here to guide you to the afterlife or anything. It's not your time yet."

"Then why are you here?"

"Before we get to that, let me take a look at that shoulder. Looks pretty nasty."

She reached over to the injured shoulder. Jim wanted to stop her; he didn't want any of his blood getting on her. However, she cut him off with a swift move of her remaining hand. She reassured him that everything would be fine. "Don't worry. This'll only take a second."

He allowed her to have her way for the moment. She placed her hand on the injured shoulder and closed her eyes. A few seconds passed when she opened them again. "There, it's done. How does it feel now?"

It felt better than even Jim could have imagined. The pain in his shoulder was gone! He even noticed that she had no blood on her hand. If ever he had any doubt about who she said she was, now there was no more.

"It feels great. Thank you."

"I wouldn't be your guardian if I didn't take care of you one way or another."

"Yeah, but you still haven't told me why you're here."

The expression on her face turned from joyous to serious. "Oh, that. I've kept you waiting long enough. I'm here to tell you that you've been given a second chance. It's a gift few other people will ever receive. Don't waste it."

Jim found this to be a let down. He was expecting something huge. "Is that it?"

"Actually, no", she responded. "I'm just getting started. Now I know you're scared of dying in battle, and that's normal. Every soldier has gone through it. But you…you've become so fixated on death that you're not living anymore! When was the last time you sat down with the other members of your squad and actually talked to them? You don't know, do you?"

"But-"

"No buts! I know your reasons, Jim. You can't let fear control you. That's not the way to go through life."

"I'm just worried about my grandparents. I'm the only family they have left and I don't want them getting a letter from the Army that says I've been killed in action. I feel like if I were to die I'll have let them down. I've given them enough grief already; I don't want to burden them with my death too."

"I understand, Jim. But your grandparents aren't why I'm here. I'm here for you."

"Then answer this: how can a man stay focused on life when all he sees around him is death?"

"Jim, have you ever wondered why you're fighting this war? For freedom, that's why. You're here because the world needs people like you to fight for those who can't fight for themselves. This war will end soon because of your efforts and the efforts of people like you. Don't give up yet. You're helping to make the world a better place."

"By killing people? That's how I'm making the world a better place?"

"This is war, Jim. Sooner or later one side has to lose and the other has to win. You know as well as I do killing is just part of the deal. It's what you were trained to do. I don't agree with all the carnage but it was bound to happen. I promise you this: all the men who die here today and who have already died since this war began didn't do so in vain. They died so that others might live. They are the ones who will be remembered in the history books."

Jim took in what she was saying and slowly it began making sense to him. All this time he had been so afraid of what could have been that he never gave a thought to the bigger picture. It all became crystal clear to him now that he heard it from another perspective. For the first time in a long time a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you. Thank you for everything and for being there for me all those years even if I never knew you were there up until now. I promise you that I won't let fear control me anymore. It'll be hard getting over my fear but the only way to conquer it is to face it head on. You've taught me that much."

The mysterious girl smiled back at him. "Actually, I didn't teach you anything. You realized for yourself what you need to do. If that's the case, I'm not needed here anymore. I've done what I came to do. I've been here longer than I should have anyway."

"Patterson!"

Sergeant Baker had been gone so long that Jim had forgotten about him. He turned his head and saw Baker coming at him with a medic by his side.

"_So he found a medic after all." _

Soon Baker was at his side. The medic gave Jim one look and said, "Shit! Damned Krauts hammered you pretty good, buddy. You got more holes in you than Swiss cheese."

Baker was not a patient man. "Never mind that. Just help him."

"Wait, I know you guys. You're both from 1st squad, right?"

Baker was quickly losing his patience with the young medic. "This is not the goddamned time for introductions! Now help him or I'll report you for dereliction of duty!"

The young medic got the fright of his life when Baker came down on him like that. "Yes, sir! Sorry, sir! I'll get right on it, sir!"

The medic went to work and applied bandages to all of Jim's injuries. It was the best he could do for now. Jim noticed the mystery girl was still there but neither the medic nor Sergeant Baker had noticed her. He couldn't understand what was going on. Before he could say anything, she had an answer for him. "You're the only one who can see and hear me, Jim. That's why those two haven't noticed me yet; I'm invisible to them. Look, I have to go now. Remember, I'll be watching."

The same sharp light from before appeared and slowly she began her ascent into it. Suddenly, Jim remembered one last thing he wanted to ask her. Not caring if Baker and the medic heard him, he half shouted to her, "Wait! You never told me your name!"

By now it was almost too late to hear her. He could hear her saying something but it was very faint.

"R…o…s….e…t…." was all he could make out but he was sure there was something he was missing. By now Baker and the medic were looking at him with puzzled expressions on their faces.

"He's hallucinating. It's the pain talking now. A shot of morphine oughta do the trick. I really can't do anything else for him, sir. He's lost too much blood. He's gonna need a doctor's help now", the young medic remarked.

He promptly took a syringe out of his first aid kit and injected Jim with the necessary amount of morphine. Jim was very much tired now; he had a rough morning behind him, he had lost of lot of blood and then the mystery girl showed up as well. By now she was gone completely. His eyelids started feeling heavy. No matter how he tried he couldn't keep them open for long. Baker noticed this and started to panic which wasn't something he was prone to. "Patterson, stay with me! I didn't come this far just so you could die in front of me! Listen to me! We're getting you out of here. Just hang on!"

Jim, however, didn't really have a choice in the matter. He had lost all control now. The last thing he remembered before his head slumped to the side and everything went black was Baker calling his name over and over again.

Author's note: Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Most of the fic probably sounded like a cleverly disguised history lesson and you're probably wondering what it has to do with all things Chrono Crusade. Don't worry, it will all make sense soon. I'm just a sucker for history and I've wanted to do this for a long time. As you might have guessed, the latter half of the story takes place after the original Chrono Crusade timeline. Remember, the world did not stand still after Rosette died. The march of time went on regardless. Also, don't expect any kind of character reincarnation. This is not that kind of fic. Not that I don't like reincarnation fics. I'm just saying there won't be any of that in this story. Well, I suppose I've said everything that needed to be said. Until next time, this is Saracen RedHawk signing off. (cue sound of static)


	2. The Return Part 2

Author's note: I don't really have much to say, except enjoy!

The Return

Part 2

The last thing Jim remembered before everything went black on the beach was Sergeant Baker shouting his name. Slowly, the darkness faded as his eyes opened, bringing everything into focus. His awakening into the land of the living was accompanied by a few guttural groans.

A strong smell assailed his nostrils; he looked around him and saw that he was in a type of hospital ward. That would explain the smell; it had a powerful disinfectant type quality to it. He was not alone though. The ward was full of injured soldiers like him. Doctors and nurses were running around all over the place trying to help everybody.

Turning his attention away from his surroundings, he looked at himself. Fresh bandages had been applied to all his wounds. Still, he felt a bit groggy, like he had been operated on not too long ago. That would explain the bandages.

"Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

Jim turned his head; a young nurse with black hair and green eyes was standing at his bedside.

"Like I got hit by a speeding train. Where am I?"

"On board a hospital ship. Take it easy, you were operated on two hours ago. You shouldn't even be awake yet. Oh well, since I'm here I might as well check your vitals."

She produced a thermometer, checked his temperature and pulse and talked with him a bit to keep his mind off the pain he was still feeling. "You know, the doctors thought you were a lost cause. When you were brought in one of them said you were as good as dead even if you were still breathing."

"If I was as good as dead then why'd they go ahead with the operation anyway?"

"You should thank Doctor Sullivan. He was convinced you still had a chance to survive. If it hadn't been for him you would've died. He said he'd come by later to check on you when he had some time."

"Good. I'd like to thank the man who saved my life."

"I'm sure you do. Okay, I'm all done. Just take it easy and get some rest. You've had a rough day behind you."

She was about to turn around when Jim remembered he wanted to ask her something. "Wait! Before you go I'd like to ask you a favor."

"Well, okay. I can't promise anything though."

"Could you find out if there are any other men from my unit on this ship?"

"I'll see what I can do. What outfit do you belong to?"

"The 5th Rangers."

"Okay. I'll look into it. Now remember what I said, take it easy and get some rest, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Jim was getting a bit annoyed at hearing he shouldn't strain himself too much. How was he supposed to do that? He'd be confined to the bed the whole time. It's not like he had the strength to get out of bed anyway. With these thoughts, he drifted into a deep sleep again because he had nothing else to do anyway.

Later, he woke up again and felt much better. Doctor Sullivan, true to his word, made the time to visit Jim and check up on him. "Mr. Patterson, is it? Good to see you're doing so well. None of the other doctors were willing to give you a chance at survival."

"I don't know how I can repay you for all you've done, Doctor. Thanks for all you did for me. And call me Jim. "Mr. Patterson" sounds too formal."

"If you prefer it that way. Just get better and help to win this war, Jim. That's all the thanks I need."

"There's something I wanted to ask you, Doctor."

"Yes?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful and everything, but why did you take a chance on me?"

"When you were brought in you were still breathing despite the extensiveness of your injuries and the loss of blood. Other men would have died, but you…you were still alive, you were still breathing. You struck me as someone who had a strong fighting spirit. Whether you knew it or not, you were fighting for your life and you wouldn't give up. That's why I took that chance. I guess my faith in you was well placed."

"I don't know if I would call it a fighting spirit, Doctor."

"Call it a miracle if you want, but the fact remains that you are here alive."

"Thanks again, Doctor. By the way, just how long will I be here for? I'd like to get back to my squad as soon as possible."

"Hold on there! You're still far too weak to even think about rejoining your unit. Right now you should rest; that's what's best for you now. I can't have a half healed soldier getting back into the fight. I wouldn't be able to call myself a doctor if I did. Besides, you're not out of danger yet. You'll have to stay for observation, and you'll only leave when I clear you to do so. Understood?"

Jim couldn't really object to Doctor's Sullivan's instructions. After all, this was the man who saved his life. "Okay, Doctor. If that's what I have to do I guess I have no choice then."

The weeks dragged by slowly, too slowly to Jim's liking. Every day was the same routine: regular visits by the middle aged Doctor Sullivan and the black haired, green eyed nurse he came to know as Mary became part of his schedule on board the hospital ship. Sometimes Mary would bring him news of what was happening outside the ship. During his stay she brought him news he had been waiting for a long time: the status of the invasion. It went something like this:

"Hey there, Jim. Ready for your checkup?"

"Hell, I've got nothing better to do. Check me all you want."

"Still the same, I see. By the way, I thought you'd like to know what's been happening outside the ship."

"Are you kidding? I've been dying to hear how the invasion's been doing."

"It turns out that the beaches you guys landed on have been linked into a single front. Ships are coming in every day unloading supplies. I wish you could see it. There are hundreds of ships out there. I never knew how big the invasion was until I saw it all for myself."

"Thanks, Mary. Sounds like it was a success after all. You have no idea how easily it could have been a disaster. By the way, you still haven't told me if there are other members from the 5th Rangers being treated for injuries on the ship. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

"Uh…no, I've just been busy, that's all. You're not the only patient I have to take care of, you know. I'll look into it as soon as I can. Now, let's finish with your checkup."

"Yes, ma'am."

Sergeant Baker also paid Jim a visit on the ship. When he heard Jim had survived he couldn't wait to see him again. Soon he was at Jim's side, talking with him.

"Patterson, you son of a bitch! You scared the shit outta me back there on the beach. For a moment I thought you were dead."

"You're not the only one, Sarge. I'm just grateful to be alive."

"Damn right you should be! You're probably the luckiest bastard I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."

Jim was sure of one thing: Sergeant Baker acted like he was tough as nails but underneath the rough exterior was a heart of gold. This was made apparent on many occasions when he took the time to get to know his men. Even now at Jim's side he was showing that aspect of his personality. Sergeant Baker had achieved his rank because he knew when to be tough and when to be gentle. Above all, he was a fair leader.

"I won't argue with that. But I'd like to know…just how many of our guys made it?"

"Oh...so you want to know how many of us are still alive? Well, it's hard to say at this time…I mean, we're not really sure…"

"Sarge, it's been two weeks since the invasion. You gotta have some idea by now."

"You're right; avoiding the situation won't solve anything. I should tell you and get it over with, you're gonna hear it all later anyway."

Jim was aware of his commanding officer's sudden indecisiveness. Usually he always got to the point fast. What could be so terrible that he was scared to share it with him?

Baker drew a deep breath and then he continued his tale. "We…lost a lot of good men out there. Men who've been with us since the start…Rangers who were some of the first members of this unit. After the beach was taken, I looked back on what had happened. I don't think you'd ever see a massacre like this in your deepest, darkest nightmares. We couldn't identify some of the bodies…the Kraut artillery had blown some of them in half, or tore off whole body parts. It…wasn't a pretty picture. Actually, we did find some of them still alive but missing a few limbs. For them the war is over. Witnessing it all wasn't the worst though. I was the one who had to write letters to the families of these dead young men. What was I supposed to say? That they died for their country? That they died as heroes? Half of them never even made it off the landing craft! It's all a goddamn waste if you ask me. Nothing but a goddamn waste."

Jim took all of it in and what he heard was not pleasant to say the least. Not that it was unexpected, but he was saddened to hear about the gruesome circumstances of the deaths of his fellow Rangers.

"_So that's probably why Mary never told me the truth. There probably were guys from the 5__th__ who were being treated here but I guess some of them never survived or had grievous wounds .It's likely she didn't want to upset me in my condition. After all, it is a nurses' job to take care of patients. She was only doing what she thought was right." _

While he was thinking on this, he remembered what the mystery girl had said to him.

"_You've been given a second chance. It's a gift few other people will ever receive. Don't waste it." _

Was this what she was talking about? Was this what she meant with the second chance? Here he was, lying in a comfortable hospital bed with his legs and arms still intact. For all intents and purposes, he had probably been the luckiest man on the planet ever. He realized that this must be the great gift she spoke of.

"Patterson! Are you listening to me?"

Jim was quickly brought back to reality when Baker half shouted at him to get his attention. He nearly jumped out of his bed. "Huh? What? Sorry, Sarge, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"About a lot of things, but mostly about the war. Sarge, I know we've lost a lot of good men ever since this war started and mourning their loss is what's expected. But you know what I think, Sarge? We shouldn't be mourning at all."

When Baker heard those words, he looked at Jim like he had lost the last vestiges of his sanity. He couldn't possibly be serious, could he?

"Patterson, what the hell are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?"

"Don't get me wrong, Sarge. I think the loss of life in this war is tragic. But instead of mourning, we should be thanking God that we ever had the honor and privilege of knowing and serving with them! That's how we should remember them: not how they died but how they lived and influenced the people around them. I just know that's how they would have wanted it. Sure, they're gone and we'll never see them again but as long as we remember them they'll always live on."

"I…never thought about it…that way. Patterson…you're different, you know that? What's gotten into you? I've never seen you like this."

"Come on, Sarge, you say it like it's a bad thing."

"Yeah, but…you're so cheerful all of a sudden. You're not the same person I've known all this time."

"Let's just say I've had time to think and a little help from above."

"Help from above? What are you talking about?"

"Believe me, Sarge, its better if you don't ask. But seriously, I feel like I have changed. I'm actually excited about my life for once. You don't know how badly I wanna get out of this bed and back with the rest of the squad. Hell, I'd march out of here right now if I could!"

Baker didn't know what to say. He stared at Jim while his lower jaw was nearly dropping on the ground. It was like the unsocial loner he knew from before had been kidnapped and replaced with a cheerful version of himself. Jim was far from finished though.

"You know, Sarge, I've got this gut feeling that by this time next year we'll all be going home. When we launched the invasion, we sent Hitler a message that we're coming for him and his days are numbered. He can't hide anymore 'cause we'll find him wherever he is and make him pay for what he's done! The sacrifices our brothers in arms made in battle will not be in vain! We will avenge them and bring Hitler's dreams of conquest to an end!"

Jim hadn't noticed that his enthusiasm had made him talk louder than usual. By now every other patient in the ward had heard him and before Jim knew what was going on they were all cheering him on and whistling. The nurses and doctors had quite a hard time restoring order and calm to the otherwise quiet ward.

Baker wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Jim was always the cynical loner who fought like crazy in battle, but now it was like he was replaced by someone who looked like him but with a different attitude.

"_A month ago he'd hardly get excited about anything. Now look at him. He's actually smiling for once and inspiring these injured men. It's gonna be hard explaining this to the guys when I get back to them."_

_Two weeks later…_

Doctor Sullivan had just gone through performing a checkup on Jim, and he was quite pleased with his progress. "Well, Jim, you recovered faster than I expected you to. The physical tests we performed on you also show that you're as healthy as you were before you were injured. I might as well sign your discharge papers now."

That was the best news Jim had heard in a long time. He waited for nearly a month to hear those words.

"Really? You mean I'm finally getting out of here?"

"That's what I said. Tonight will be your last night on board the ship."

"Thanks, Doctor. You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say that."

"If I may ask, what's the rush? Other men would have seen this as a chance to lay back and relax. You do realize that after you leave here tomorrow you're leave of absence will be over?"

"I know, but I can't sit here while my squad is out there fighting and I can't be there to help them out."

"To each his own then. Well, I'm done here. Goodnight, Jim. Sleep well, and I'll see you tomorrow then with the discharge papers."

The next day Jim was officially cleared to rejoin his squad. Doctor Sullivan handed him his papers and sent him on his way, but not before Jim had thanked him and Mary for all they had done for him. A jeep was waiting to take him and several others back to their units. When Jim was reunited with his fellow Rangers, they were all taken aback at his sudden change of attitude. Even though Sergeant Baker had told them about how Jim had changed, they still didn't want to believe it until they saw it for themselves.

It wasn't long before Jim and his squad was back in action. Now Jim no longer feared death: if it came to claim him, then it had to claim him and get it over with. His new outlook on life also served him well in combat: with no regard for his own safety, he once managed to rescue a wounded Ranger while being fired upon by the enemy. This act would secure him a medal, one he wore with pride. A second medal would be his because of service above and beyond the call of duty when he single handedly destroyed an enemy machine gun nest with a well-aimed grenade, at which time he was injured again.

No war lasts forever, however. Even the once mighty Germany had to admit defeat. The Allies were closing in on them from the west, and the Soviet war machine was advancing from the east. Those same Russian troops were the ones to enter the war torn Berlin where Hitler was found dead in his bunker. Apparently it was a suicide; he'd rather die than see his beloved _Reich_ fall apart around him. It was only a matter of time before the Fatherland had no choice but to surrender.

That day came on the 8th of May, 1945, when Sergeant Baker had an important announcement for Jim and the rest of the squad. They were all engaging in conversation, some playing cards, some partaking in gambling like soldiers often did to pass the time, when Baker approached them with a piece of paper in hand. They all stood at attention when they saw their commanding officer coming towards them.

"As you were," Baker said. "Boys, I just got this message from Battalion HQ. It's pretty important so make sure you all listen carefully."

As if to impress upon them the seriousness of it all, Baker cleared his throat before he continued. "Effective immediately, all troops are to stand fast on present positions."

"Stand fast? What's that supposed to mean?", one of the Rangers chimed in.

"You know what, screw the message. I'm not one for long speeches; I'll just get straight to the point. Guys, the German Army surrendered unconditionally. We're not at war with them anymore."

The news hit them all like a slap in the face. They all stood there like they were petrified; it was hard for them to grasp what Baker had just shared with them. Could it be real? Was the war finally over?

One Ranger, a fellow named Taylor, finally gained control of his vocal chords and asked, "Sarge, permission to speak."

"Granted."

"You're not kidding around with us, are you, Sarge? Is it finally over? For real?"

"Well, smart-ass, if you don't believe me, then read the message yourself. I just thought you'd all be happy to hear that you don't have to shoot at Jerry anymore. By the way, Battalion arranged a case of champagne for us and every other unit stationed here at the base. Feel free to celebrate V-E Day."

Taylor once again proved how clueless he could be sometimes when he asked, "V-E Day? What's that?"

Jim, silent thus far, finally spoke. "You mean you don't know? V-E means…Victory in Europe…guys, this is for real! It's all over! The war is finally over!"

Just as he uttered those words, one of their comrades arrived with a case of champagne in hand. "Hey fellas, look what I found, and since I'm such a generous guy and all, I thought I'd share it with ya. Not every day that we get to celebrate V-E Day."

The celebrations went on well into the night, and not just at their base camp, but all over the world as well. The American and British governments declared the 8th of May as a day of celebration, and people everywhere in both countries and the whole of Europe celebrated the end of a most brutal conflict.

When Jim though back on it all, he knew that he would never have been where he was now if it hadn't been for that mysterious blonde girl who came to him at the verge of death. She gave him a renewed will to fight, to live his life and to let go of his fear.

"_I owe her so much, and there's no way I could ever repay her for her kindness. But…there was something about her…something I can't put my finger on…" _

It was the fact that the girl had a name that baffled him so. To Jim it would appear that even though she may now be a benevolent angel of sorts, she may have once been a living, breathing person with her own hopes and dreams, a human being who once walked the surface of the planet. It was exactly these observations that compelled him to try and find out more about her if that were even possible. He only had half a name to go on, but he wouldn't let that stop him.

"_When I get back home, I'm gonna go find out who and what she is, and I'm not stopping until I have the answers. I don't give a damn how long it takes, but I'll find the answers even if it takes me a lifetime." _

But even though hostilities between the Germans and the Allies had ceased, there was still the matter of Japan which, despite having lost most of its naval power, still held out. Already Allied High Command was making plans to redeploy troops from the European theater of war over to the Pacific. Jim's future was very uncertain.

_Three months later, on August 14__th__, 1945… _

Jim's unit was no longer an aggressive fighting force. Instead, they had it easy now for the last three months. The most strenuous task they had to perform was the occasional guard duty. The rest of their time was spent relaxing and finding ways to occupy themselves. It was in this time of relative peace that they often spoke about where they would end up if Japan didn't surrender, and today was no different.

One of the squad members, a young man named Carter, was the first one to raise the question.

"So guys, where do ya think we're going after all this? The Japs ain't given up yet."

"Hell, I don't know. We're just the grunts, we just follow orders", another Ranger, named Braeburn, commented.

"I heard some rumblings from Battalion HQ that we might be put on a ship to the Pacific as early as next month. Any of you guys like the idea of saying hi to the Japs the Ranger way?"

"Since when did your chums at Battalion ever give you reliable information, Carter?"

"Fine, don't believe me, Braeburn. I'll be the one telling you I told you so when we're on that ship."

Their conversation was interrupted when Baker approached them. Before they could even stand at attention, he told them to remain as they were.

"Don't get up, it's not necessary. I just came from Battalion with an important message for you all."

"Does it have something to do with the Japs, Sarge? We're gonna be sent to the Pacific, right?"

"Yes and no, Carter."

"Huh?"

"You're right, it does have something to with the Japanese, and no, we're not being put on a ship to the Pacific. Did you go fishing for info at Battalion HQ again?"

"Uhm…well…"

They all laughed out loud when the talkative Carter had nothing to say for once. When the laughing died down, Baker continued. "The Japanese have announced their surrender to the Allied forces. We're not gonna see any action in the Pacific, we're staying right here. Oh, and Patterson, I wanna talk to you about something important."

_Two weeks later… _

It turned out that Jim's medals and achievements had counted for something after all. Sergeant Baker had informed him that the top brass had noticed him and were of a good mind to put him on a ship home. Three and a half years of service plus the two medals he earned stood him in good stead. Actually it was all a formality; Baker was certain that the ticket home was as good as his. Now here he was with a suitcase in hand waiting for a jeep to come pick him up and take him to the ship that would take him home. Around him stood all the friends he had made in his squad during the latter half of his service, Sergeant Baker included. They were all there to say their final goodbyes to the man who had experienced and shared so much with them.

"Guys…you know…I hate long goodbyes", Jim said to his fellow Rangers.

"Yeah, we know. We just wanna say…good luck, Jim. We're all gonna miss ya."

"You'd better swing by my dad's joint if you're ever in Brooklyn. He makes a mean pasta, Italian style."

"Sure thing, Rosetti. Maybe you'll have taken over his restaurant by the time I get a chance to drop in."

"Who knows? Anything's possible."

"Look, guys…it's been…hell, I don't know what it's been…you know…"

Jim didn't really know how to tell these men what he really felt. These were the guys who fought alongside him, who experienced so much with him, who had become like his brothers, like the family he never had.

Yet in their own way, they understood what Jim was trying to tell them. It wasn't easy for them to say goodbye either.

"We know, Jim. We know. Hey look, isn't that the jeep that's supposed to pick you up? You don't want to be late for your boat, do you?"

Indeed it was. Jim got into the passenger seat and took one last look at the men he considered his brothers in arms. They all said their last goodbyes as the jeep pulled away, leaving Jim with only the driver for company.

Two days later he was on board the ship that was to take him home. He had a lot of time to think about what he was going to do now. Probably the hardest change he had to make was adjusting to normal society again. The Army seemed to leave out that little detail during training. No, every man had to do that for himself, and Jim was no different. That was not his greatest worry though. Above all, he wanted to return to Chicago and let his grandparents know he was still alive and in one piece. Then he planned on taking a long vacation before he began his quest to find out more about the mysterious girl if he could.

He wasn't sure what he would do to earn some money for himself. His Army pay would only last so long before it was exhausted. It also worried him that he wasn't even sure what he was good at. All he knew now was how to be a soldier, but now that the world was at peace no one had any need of his skills. Besides, he had seen enough killing and destruction for one lifetime.

"_Some of the guys used to talk about getting themselves a patch of land somewhere, some peace and quiet for the rest of their days when the fighting was over. Hell no, not me. Not after all the shit I've seen. The last thing I want to do is to live out the rest of my life alone."_

A few days later Jim's feet touched solid ground when the ship arrived in New York's harbor. This was the second time he had been to the city: his first time was when his unit boarded the transport that took them to Ireland at the beginning of the war. From the harbor, he took a taxi to the nearest train station and bought himself a ticket to Chicago.

"_Grandma and Grandpa are gonna be surprised to see me. I hope the neighborhood is still the same. I wonder how everyone will react when they see me again."_

Unfortunately, an unpleasant surprise was waiting for him as soon as the train from New York pulled into the station at Chicago two days later. His excitement was at an all time high when the taxi dropped him off on the corner of the street where his grandparents lived. Soon he stood in front of the house where he spent so many of his early years. But something was wrong: the garden looked like it had been unattended for a while.

"_That's strange. Grandpa would never let the garden end up like this." _

Still, he proceeded to the front door and knocked a few times, but there was no response. Jim was really starting to worry now.

"_Okay, this is getting stranger by the minute. Could they have gone out or something? Come to think of it, I didn't see the car in the driveway."_

He took a chance and turned the knob of the front door. Surprisingly, it yielded to him pushing it forward. Slowly he advanced inside. "Hello? Grandma, Grandpa! It's me, Jim! I'm home!"

His voice echoing around the house was the only response he got back. Now he was really worried. He started searching the rooms and to his horror, he found the house devoid of any furniture. All their belongings were missing.

"_What the hell is going on here!? Where's all our stuff? Where are my grandparents?"_

He didn't know what to think anymore. Was he at the wrong house? No, it couldn't be. Then what was going on? Jim made his way outside again and into the daylight, still trying to figure out what had happened to his grandparents and their house.

"Excuse me."

A female voice spoke to him out of nowhere. He looked up and saw a woman in her late forties with black hair on the front lawn looking straight at him.

"Are you looking for someone?"

He thought for a moment that she looked really familiar. Then it hit him: she was Mrs. Perconte, his friend Joey's mother. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be her.

"Don't you recognize me, Mrs. Perconte? It's me, Jim. I'm Joey's friend. Don't tell me you don't remember me."

The woman gave him a look of suspicion, like she didn't believe him. "Jim? No, it can't be. Everybody said Jim died in the war."

"Well, I think I look pretty good for a dead guy."

Mrs. Perconte approached and looked at him from close up, inspecting him from every angle and every side. Jim felt a bit uncomfortable while she was scrutinizing him like this. Finally, she took her eyes off him but instead turned her attention to his face.

"Is there a problem, ma'am?"

"I…it's impossible…but…you…you were supposed to have died in the war…and still…it is you! Jim…you actually came back!"

"Yeah, and I'm glad to be back."

"Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't recognize. You just looked so different from the last time I saw you. You were eighteen at the time, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. I just turned twenty-two in April."

"I see. You look so much older than you used to."

"The Army has changed me, Ms. Perconte. I definitely feel different. But there's something important I have to ask you: what happened to my grandparents? I just got here from New York and all I found was an empty house."

"Oh dear, you mean you don't know? I'm so sorry, Jim. Your grandparents...they're…"

"They're what? Please, Ms. Perconte, I have to know."

"I don't know how to say this…but…while you were gone, they both…"

"What happened? Please, just tell me straight!"

"Jim…you'll never see your grandparents again. They both passed away a few months ago."

Jim's eyes opened up wide with the shock of what he just heard, his knees felt weak, and his mind went numb for a moment. The suitcase he was carrying fell to the ground when he loosened his grip on it without realizing it.

"Jim? Are you okay?", a concerned Ms. Perconte asked Jim.

It took Jim a few moments to register in his head that she was trying to get his attention. Still, the news of his grandparents' passing still left him in a numb state of mind. Finally, he took control of his thoughts again.

"Uh…yeah…I…I always wondered why the letters they sent me started drying up around January this year. I thought it was because I was never in one place for too long. It was pretty hard for our personal mail to get through to us sometimes. Our own mail didn't always get sent on time either. Maybe that's why everyone thought I had died. But…I never thought that…"

"I'm so sorry, Jim. I'll tell you what, come over to my house and we'll all sit down and have some coffee. I'm sure Joey would love to see you again."

"Thanks. I'd like that too."

Not long after, they stepped through the front door of the Perconte house. Jim waited in the living room while Mrs.Perconte proceeded further into the house to call Joey.

"_Wonder if Joey has changed since I've been gone. The way I remember him he always had some or other scheme going to get rich quick. Unfortunately none of them ever worked. Good thing he was a fast runner; he had to be to run away from the trouble he got himself into sometimes. Yeah, that's Joey alright; he could never sit still, ever restless." _

"Jim? Is it really you? Hell, it's been a long time."

Jim recognized that voice as belonging to none other than Joey. He turned around to say hello, but an unexpected sight awaited him. He froze right there; what he saw was indeed Joey, but not the same person he knew from before. The Joey in front of him now was sitting in a wheelchair missing half of his right leg.

"Joey? What happened…I mean, how did…"

"That's a fine way to greet someone you haven't seen in three years", Joey responded. "Well, after you left here in '41, I decided to enlist before I was drafted. Now you know me, taking it easy is my way of doing things, so the Marines sounded like a good deal. I mean, who could resist the chance to relax on tropical islands along with all the beautiful native girls? I mean, that's what I heard from everyone who volunteered. I got my rude awakening when that bad ass drill sergeant looked me in the face for the first time and told me exactly what he thought of me like he did with everyone else."

"But how…"

"Oh yeah, the leg. Well, as you know, the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor, and the next thing I knew I was fighting on those same tropical islands I'd heard so much about. No native girls though. It happened on a piece of rock called Iwo Jima, when a Jap artillery shell exploded right next to me and knocked me flat. When I tried to get up, I saw it: my right leg wasn't there anymore. I've been back home since May this year."

"I'm sorry…about the leg, Joey."

"Oh, it's not so bad. You get used to it…eventually. Hey, it could've been worse. I could've lost more than just a limb."

"Yeah…I guess."

Jim didn't know what to think of this. It all seemed so surreal. The Joey from then and the Joey now were two different people.

"_It's like…he's settled down now, like he's left his old ways behind. He…seems to be taking it well, but…I can't help wondering if he's putting on a brave face for everyone. Losing a leg has to be one hell of an adjustment to make, even more so for a guy like him who used to be so restless." _

Jim had to leave any further thoughts for later; Mrs. Perconte had just finished making coffee for everyone and soon they were seated around the kitchen table, talking about the last few months events.

"I just happened to be walking home from the store when I saw you standing at the front door of your house. I couldn't imagine who'd have any business going in there."

"So…how were my grandparents before the end?"

"They were worried about you all the time. There wasn't a day that didn't go by when they didn't think of you. They lived for the days when the letters you sent them arrived. If only you could have seen them."

Jim took a sip of his coffee before he continued asking his questions. "So…how did they…die?"

"I'm not sure. Their doctor couldn't find anything wrong with them. It seems like it was old age that finally took its toll on them. They passed away peacefully while they were sleeping. First it was your grandmother, then your grandfather followed her soon after."

"Well, if they didn't have any pain at the end, then I guess it was just their time to go. You know, Mrs. Perconte, the one thing I regret the most of all is that…I never got to say…how sorry I am for making them worry about me all these years. I thought that saying it in a letter wouldn't really do the trick. It's something I wanted to tell them face to face. But now…I'll never get a chance to do it…" 

"I'm sure they knew what you wanted to say. The relationship between you and them was strained before you left, Jim. It's been strained for a long time."

"You know, Mrs. Perconte, I really did want to say how sorry I was, but my foolish pride kept me from doing just that. And now it's too late…"

Joey finally spoke after being quiet for so long. "I'm sorry for you, Jim. If it's alright with my mom, then I think you should stay with us for a while. You've got nowhere else to go as far as I know."

"Are you sure, Joey?"

"We really don't mind, Jim. I think Joey would appreciate some company other than mine around here. Besides, you just came back from fighting a war. You definitely need some time to rest and think about what you want to do next."

"Thanks, Mrs. Perconte. I think I'll take you up on the offer."

They spent the rest of their time talking about the good old times and later Jim and Joey exchanged war stories. Jim noticed that Joey didn't like taking charity from everyone and still insisted on doing most things on his own even if he was confined to a wheelchair. He also didn't like people looking at him with the "pity-stare" as he called it. He wanted to prove that just because he was missing half a leg it didn't mean that he was disabled and incapable.

The next day Jim visited the graves of his relatives. His grandparents were both buried next to his parents, something which Jim thought was fitting. As he looked upon the graves, a tear ran down his cheek. His sorrow nearly overtook him, but he kept his reserve. Now was not the time to break down.

"_Grandma, grandpa…I'm sorry for everything. I know nothing I say could ever fix everything I screwed up. I'll probably live with the regret for the rest of my life. Guess that's the punishment for causing you all that trouble all those years. Just know that I really am sorry." _

Now that Jim had finally visited the graves of his family, he felt a bit better knowing that he had a chance to at least say goodbye even if was a bit late. From there, he visited the proper authorities to find out what would happen to the house now that no one was living there.

He spent the rest of the week visiting friends and acquaintances and catching up on everything that happened in the neighborhood during his absence. During this time, he started getting the feeling that even though he grew up here, this place, this city, just wasn't his home anymore. He just couldn't see himself living here for the rest of his days.

One night, while he was lying in his bed at the Perconte house, Jim came to the conclusion that if he wanted to make a fresh start, this wasn't the place to do it.

'_There are just…too many bad memories in this place. If I'm gonna start over, it has to anywhere but here. Strange…it's like something is urging me to go back to New York. I don't even know the place but I feel like if I go there…I might just find what I'm looking for."_

The longer he stayed in Chicago, the more he was compelled to make the journey to New York. He couldn't deny that the mystery girl was still on his mind, had been for a long time. New York was as good a place as any to start his quest.

A week later, he was saying his final goodbyes to Mrs. Perconte and Joey at Chicago's train station. He shared his plans with them a few days earlier and even though they tried to convince him otherwise, Jim had made up his mind. There was nothing left for him in Chicago anymore, he told them. It was time to move on with his life.

He didn't want the old house anymore for obvious reasons. It would be the property of the city of Chicago until someone bought it again. He did manage to acquire a few photos of his family and some other personal items, mostly things he could fit in his suitcase and jacket pockets.

"Are you really sure this is what you want to do?'

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Mrs. Perconte. This is something I have to do. I have to put some distance between myself and this place."

"There's really nothing we can say to make you stay?"

"Nope."

They were interrupted when a train pulled in right next to the platform they were standing on. Jim took a look at his wristwatch; yes, this was the train to New York, right on time.

"So I guess this is where we part ways, huh?", Joey said as he extended a hand to Jim. "Good luck to you. Don't forget to swing by some time, okay? There'll always be a room for you at our house if you feel like coming back."

Jim took Joey's hand and exchanged a handshake with his childhood friend. "Thanks for everything, Joey, Mrs. Perconte. Maybe someday I'll show my face here again. Well, I gotta get going or the train will leave without me."

As the train pulled out of the station, Jim looked back one more time at Joey and his mother and waved back to them until they were too far away to see anymore. Then he settled in for the long trip to New York where he hoped he would find the answers he sought about the mysterious girl.

It was early morning when the train arrived at Grand Central station two days later. When Jim got off and stepped outside, he took some time to take in the city and most of the sights. Now he realized why people called it the city that never sleeps: this place was absolutely huge, much larger than he could've imagined.

"_Everything I heard about this place was true. If my instincts are correct, somewhere in this city there has to be someone who can help me. Guess I'd better get started."_

Of course, he wasn't entirely sure where to begin at all. He thought that a church would be the best place to start; priests were always willing to listen to people and their problems. At least that was what he thought. The first church he came across he tried, and found a willing minister to listen to him. Unfortunately, the minister found his story a bit hard to swallow. In his opinion, Jim had a near death experience that day on the beach, and that the mysterious girl who appeared to him was a figment of his imagination, something to help him through the pain. He didn't deny that she might have been his guardian angel, but under those conditions it was easy to imagine things considering the stress he was under. He was in the middle of a war, after all. He then tried to encourage Jim to forget about the incident and go on with his life.

Jim did not find this to be a satisfactory answer. He promptly thanked the minister for his time and left the church. So he went from one church to the next, and every time he found more or less the same answer. His determination wouldn't allow him to give up, however. He kept this up until the sun began slowly setting bringing darkness to this lively town. Of course, Jim didn't know that sometimes New York was even busier at night than it was at day. Now he was walking around aimlessly while trying to figure out his next move. He didn't have a place to stay, nor did he know where to find one, and by now most of the motels and guest houses would be closed for the day, he thought. Besides, he didn't have the money for a fancy hotel either. It seemed like sleeping on a park bench was his only option. Not that it bothered him; during his tour of duty, he often had worse sleeping accommodations that a park bench.

"_It doesn't matter where I sleep, as long as I get some sleep. Hell, none of this will matter until I figure out who that girl was. I walked around the whole day for nothing, none of those priests and ministers could begin to help me. Damn, getting a bit hungry. Haven't eaten anything the whole day, but then I only have myself to blame for that."_

As he was thinking on this, he noticed a café on the other side of the street. He couldn't deny that he was hungrier than he would have admitted, and he did feel like some coffee about now.

"_Why not? I've got some loose change in my pocket, and I won't find out who that girl was if I'm starving to death." _

Avoiding the traffic, he made his way across the street and soon found a seat at the café, where he ordered himself a sandwich and some coffee. He had just settled in when a middle aged man with blonde hair approached him.

"Excuse me, but would you mind if I shared the table with you?", the man asked Jim. "It's just that I come here regularly and I always sit here."

"Sure, I've got no problem", Jim responded. "By all means, have a seat."

"Thank you."

Jim's sandwich and coffee had arrived, at which time the blonde haired stranger took out a newspaper and started reading it. The front cover had a few articles about the developments in Europe. Looking over the edge of the newspaper, he said, "A good thing that the war is finally over, isn't it?"

"You're telling me. It feels damn good to be back after being gone for close to four years", Jim said as he took a sip of his coffee.

"You mean…you were over there yourself? You fought in the war?"

"Yeah, and I got the medals and scars to prove it. I was drafted into the Army back in '41 where I started out with the 34th Infantry Division. After that I ended up with the Rangers, an elite Army unit. And now here I am, a free man."

"You should consider yourself to be extremely lucky. Hundreds upon thousands of young men like you are dead now. I hear the fighting was particularly brutal in Europe."

"Hell, it doesn't matter where you fought, it was brutal everywhere. The Pacific wasn't anymore brutal than Europe was, and vice versa. A friend of mine had to leave half a leg behind on Iwo Jima."

"I bet your family will be glad to see you again, though."

Those words struck a cord in Jim. He was reminded of the fate of his parents and his grandparents. It finally struck that he was now alone in this world. He didn't have anyone to rely on anymore.

The stranger noticed the expression on Jim's face change and wondered if he had said anything wrong. "What's wrong? Did I say something to offend you?"

"No, its nothing you said. I'm…all alone in this world. My parents died when I was still a kid, and for twelve years my grandparents took care of me. When I came back from Europe and went home to Chicago, I found out that they had passed away while I was gone. They were the only family I had left."

"But that's just terrible! Are you sure that's the case? Don't you have any relatives somewhere out there?"

"I don't know. I never knew any members of my family except for my parents and grandparents. No, I'm the only one left. Hey, it could've been worse. At least I'm still alive and have all my limbs intact."

"Then what brought you to New York?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

The stranger put down his newspaper, looked Jim in the eye and said, "Try me."

Jim found his attitude to be a bit strange. Why should a stranger be so interested in him anyway? He didn't know this guy at all and now he wants to hear why he came all the way the New York.

"_Who is this guy? What's the deal with him? Aw hell, maybe I should just tell him anyway. I can't do any worse than this guy, not after I talked to all those priests. Besides, he probably won't believe me anyway."_

"Okay, I'll talk. I'm just warning you: you'll probably think it was my imagination playing tricks one me after I'm done. I don't even expect you to believe me."

"I may surprise you. Perhaps you'll find me to be a better listener than most people. So, are you going to tell me what brought you to New York?"

"You asked for it. Ok, here's what happened…"

_A few minutes later…_

"…so yeah, that's why I'm in New York. Kinda stupid, right? Chasing after some girl I don't even know. But I know it was real, no matter what anyone says. Hey, are you even listening to me?"

The stranger's wasn't paying any attention to Jim; his mind had drifted off into deep thought after what he was told. What really troubled him was the description Jim provided of the young girl.

"_It isn't possible. She's supposed to be…but then…why? Why would she show herself to him? What is it about this young man that she would do something like that? What lies in store for him?"_

The stranger was brought back to reality after Jim tried to get his attention for the fourth time. "Hey, what's up with you?"

"Oh, sorry about that. There's something I want to confirm: the girl you saw was blonde and had blue eyes, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much. There was something about her…oh well, not like it matters. You probably don't know anything that could help me anyway. Told you it would sound a bit stupid."

"You're wrong. I believe every word you said."

"You do? That's a first. But why you, when everyone else I talked to looked at me like I was crazy? Unless…wait a minute, you know something, don't you?"

"I'm not…certain yet. Perhaps I can help you, but I have to be absolutely sure of my facts before I can-"

The next moment he found himself looking Jim in the face, staring at the angry eyes of the young man. Jim might not have shown it, but by now he was extremely aggravated after the long day he had, especially when someone who knows something he needs to know about doesn't talk! Now he was holding the stranger by the collar of his jacket and demanded that he divulge whatever information he could.

"What kind of bullshit excuse is that!? You have no goddamn idea how far I've had to walk today, and now you come along knowing something and now you want to tell me I can't hear it!? Start talking and don't leave out a single bit, you hear me?"

"Please, now is not the time or place to resort to violence. Everyone's looking at us."

Which was quite true. All present in the café had turned to look at this scene that was playing itself out. Jim quickly let go of the stranger, turned to face everyone and said, "Sorry everyone. Just a little disagreement between…friends. Come on, there's nothing to see here anymore."

As soon as the normal calm had returned to the room and Jim had come to his senses, he thought he should at least apologize for his behavior towards the stranger. "Look, I'm sorry for grabbing you like that. I was totally out of line. I've been walking all day and I guess I was cranky 'cause I didn't find any of the answers I wanted."

"No need to apologize. I understand your situation. I think it's also about time I introduced myself. I'm Ewan Remington, pleased to meet you."

Ewan extended his hand to Jim and thus he responded in kind. "I'm James Patterson, but you can just call me Jim."

"Well, now that's out of the way, I need to ask you where you're staying. What I have to discuss with you will take too long to talk about tonight."

"Actually, I just got here today. To be honest, the last thing on my mind was finding a place to sleep. I guess a park bench is my only option now."

"Not a chance."

"Huh? What are you talking about? Really, I don't mind sleeping on a bench. I had to sleep in far worse places during the war."

"There is no way that I would be able to sleep tonight knowing I left you out in the cold when I could have helped you. No, a bench is out of the question. I have an idea, and I think you'll agree it's a good idea. A good friend of mine lives close by. We'll see if she can give you a warm bed to sleep in tonight."

"Are you sure she'll take me in just like that? I mean, it's not like I can afford to pay rent at the moment."

Ewan smiled at the young man before he continued. "Believe me, she will after she hears about what you've been through. But really, she's one of the kindest people I know. I don't think telling her about your experiences of the last three years is necessary."

"Okay, I'll trust you then."

Ewan waited at the door while Jim settled his bill for the sandwich and coffee. After that was done, he followed his older companion through the streets of New York until they had left the busy city center and arrived in a quiet neighborhood where new houses were under construction.

"_Must be new houses for all the war veterans that are coming home. I heard about this a while back." _

Jim was about to ask Ewan how much longer they had to walk when they came to a stop at a house with a white picket fence around the yard and a carefully tended garden. The lights were still on in the house, so someone had to be home.

"We're here", Ewan announced all of a sudden. "This is the place."

Little did Jim know that this would be just another step on his long journey…

Author's note: Hoped you enjoyed it. I noticed that not many people have read this fic thus far. Oh well, doesn't matter. I intend on finishing this anyway, even if only a few people ever read it. It's something I really want to finish anyway.

Until next time, see ya all later…


	3. The Return Part 3

The Return

Author's note: What's up everyone? Doing well I hope? Anyways, here's a new chapter for you all, so enjoy.

The Return

Part 3

"So this is the place, huh?", Jim asked his older companion.

"Yes. Like I said earlier, a good friend of mine lives here. She must be home, because the lights are still on. So let's go greet her."

With that, they walked up to the door and knocked on it. Soon after, the door opened up, revealing the lone occupant inside, a young woman with long lavender hair that flowed around her shoulders and possessing caring eyes. When she saw Ewan, she smiled and said, "Minister Remington! What an unexpected surprise! How long has it been since I saw you last?"

"Too long", came the reply from Ewan. "It's good to see you too, Azmaria. How have you been?"

"I've been just fine. Please, come in. You'll catch a cold out there."

They didn't need to be told twice. Jim and Ewan promptly stepped inside out of the cold and into the house. Still, in the back of his mind Jim wondered why this Azmaria person addressed Ewan as a minister of all things. He certainly did not appear to be involved with any kind of church.

"I don't believe you two have been formally introduced. Azmaria, allow me to introduce you to Jim Patterson. Jim, this is Azmaria Hendric, the friend I told you about."

"Nice to meet you, Azmaria."

"Nice to meet you to, Jim."

"Now that the formalities are over", said Ewan, "there is a matter I must discuss with you, Azmaria. You see, my young friend here arrived today from Chicago, but I'm afraid accommodations were the last thing on his mind when I found him at the café I usually go to. He actually proposed the idea of sleeping on a park bench of all things, and I just don't think that will do. What do you think, Azmaria?"

Azmaria smiled at Ewan; she knew what he was getting at. By now she knew him well enough to know what he meant. "I agree. Well, I just happen to have an empty guest room here that no one is using. What do you think I should do with it, Minister Remington?"

Obviously, Jim had been listening to the whole conversation and couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was she actually going to let him stay here for the night? She didn't even know him; they had just met. Ewan was right, she was very generous.

"If I was young Jim here, I would notice a good opportunity when I see one. "

"Well…are you sure it's okay? I don't want to be any trouble."

"It's no trouble at all. I wouldn't mind having a guest for a while. Believe me, it can get lonely here by myself," Azmaria said to put Jim's doubts at ease.

"Well then, if everyone is in agreement, then my work here is done. I'll be in touch, Jim, and Azmaria, make sure to take good care of him. He hasn't had a decent meal today and I suspect he's just about to faint from hunger. Now then, I have somewhere else to be. It was good to see you again, Azmaria."

"Are you sure you can't stay? How about some coffee before you go?"

"Maybe some other time, but thanks for the offer."

"Okay, then. See you soon, Minister Remington."

Jim looked on as Azmaria and Ewan walked to the door and said their final goodbyes after which she closed the door behind her leaving only herself and Jim in the room. Jim felt it was necessary to show his appreciation. Truly Azmaria was doing him a great service by letting him stay with her.

"You're kind is a dying breed, Azmaria."

"Oh? And why's that?", Azmaria replied, seeming surprised at the young man's remark.

"I mean…well, I don't how many other people would've taken a completer stranger into their home just like that. It just doesn't happen that often anymore. Thank you for doing that for me. If you hadn't taken me in, I probably would be looking for a park bench right now. Ewan was right about you; you are kind."

"Oh, stop it. I was just doing what was right. There was no I'd get it around my conscience if I left you out in the cold. Besides, you seem like such a nice young man. How could I possibly have said no?"

"Uh, yeah…just one more thing. Do you mind that we're already on a first name basis? I mean, we barely know each other."

"Oh, come on. I'm not that much older than you are. Of course it's fine that we're on a first name basis. How else are we supposed to address each other?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right", Jim responded, feeling a little stupid for even asking a question like that.

"So was Minister Remington right when he said that you hadn't had anything decent to eat today?"

"Yeah, he was. All I've eaten so far was a sandwich with a cup of coffee."

"Well, you're in luck. I just happen to have some of the stew I made left over. I'll tell you what, make yourself at home, I'll be right back"

Having said that, she turned around and disappeared into the kitchen. Jim took a moment to survey his surroundings. What he noticed was that Azmaria was very good at keeping the place clean because there was no dust to be seen anywhere. All the furniture was polished to a shine, and paintings of all kinds decorated the walls. Truly a comfortable space to live in.

While he was still admiring Azmaria's handiwork, she came into the room holding a plate with a delicious looking stew on it. "I thought you might like some of this."

"Yeah, it looks good. Thanks."

They made themselves comfortable at the dining table. Jim couldn't wait to sample Azmaria's cooking and immediately began eating the stew. He had to admit, he hadn't eaten this well in quite some time.

"This is some really good stuff. You're one of hell of a cook, Azmaria", Jim said in between mouthfuls.

"Thank you. Its just leftovers, but I promise you tomorrow I'll make you a breakfast you won't soon forget."

"Yeah, but….you don't have to go to all that trouble. I'm might not even be here that long."

"Oh, it's no trouble, really, and I told you, stay as long as you like. I really don't mind having you here. So, what brought you here to New York?"

"It's a long story, a really long one."

"Well, I have time and the night is still young."

_Half an hour later…_

"…and that's what happened. I know what I saw that day was real and no one is going to convince me otherwise."

"That's…some story you told me, Jim. I had no idea you were a soldier."

"Nearly three and a half years. Actually it's closer to four years if you want to get technical but that doesn't matter. I'm here and I'm alive. I couldn't ask for anything more than that."

During the conversation, Jim noticed that Azmaria looked a bit sad when he talked about his participation in the war. _"Hope I didn't say anything to offend her."_

Nevertheless, he felt that he should found out what was bothering her. He didn't want to risk bad relations with his host at this early stage. "Is everything okay, Azmaria?"

"Well…I don't exactly live here alone. At least, that wasn't the original intent. You see, I'm engaged to be married, and my fiancée is stationed over in the Pacific. He's a Marine. He'll probably only be coming home next year."

"Oh, I see. When I was talking about the war…"

"Yes. I realized just how much I miss him. We met each other two years before the war started in the Pacific. Three months before the attack on Pearl Harbor he proposed. What else could I do but accept? He made me so happy and I was sure there was no one else I'd rather spend my life with. We started planning everything, from the wedding to the honeymoon, we even looked for a house. Obviously we found one we liked because you looked at it when you and Ewan arrived. Everything was set. Then…the war broke out. We had to put all our plans on hold because my fiancée, just all the other young men like him, wanted to make the Japanese pay for what they did. There was another reason though; his brother was stationed at Pearl Harbor and was killed during the attack. For him it was personal. Of course I wasn't happy about it, but if wouldn't have helped anyway. If he didn't enlist, he would have been drafted. Either way he would've had to leave me, so I let him go. He promised me he wouldn't die, and I'm glad that he kept his promise. Now you can understand why I said it can get lonely here. I've waited for him all this time."

"You really are amazing, Azmaria."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't believe how many times during the war I saw guys go off the deep end when they got letters from their girlfriends and wives saying that they can't wait for them anymore. I remember this one time when one of the guys in my squad got a letter like that. His wife wanted a divorce and she was gonna take everything. He got so mad that he smashed a wooden chair to pieces with his bare hands, and this is a guy who's usually calm and collected. It took five of us to restrain him. After that he just wasn't the same anymore. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you are one in million because you are willing to wait no matter how long it takes. Your devotion to your future with your fiancée is truly inspirational."

Azmaria couldn't help but blush and smile at the same time. She had never thought about it that way before. "Oh, stop it. Can I help it if I know he's the one? Of course I'm willing to wait for him. It hasn't always been easy, I'll admit, but I can honestly say that I've never felt like breaking off the engagement."

"You're really something else. One more thing: why did you call Ewan a minister? Is he involved with a church or something? He didn't look like someone who'd be involved with that kind of thing."

"Well…uh…that's kind of a long story on its own. Yes, he was involved with a church but he's no longer a minister of any kind. He quit that job years ago. We have known each other for a long time though. I tend to still call him by that title out of respect."

"One last thing: Are you sure you're fiancée wouldn't object to this? I don't want to cause trouble."

"No Jim, he wouldn't. He's a kind man, he'll understand. He's not the type who's jealous or overprotective. That's just one of the reasons why I made the choice to be his wife."

Jim wanted to say something but before he could start a big yawn came upon him. He was more tired than he would have liked to admit and Azmaria noticed this. "You know, it is getting late. Let me show you to your room. I'm sure you must be tired after walking so much today."

"Actually, walking wasn't that exhausting because I'm used to it. But you're right, it is getting late. Lead the way."

With Jim in tow, Azmaria led him to his room. It was unremarkable as rooms went, but it had all the basics for a comfortable stay. Obviously there was a bed, a closet, a mirror hanging on the wall and two paintings. It didn't matter to Jim how the room looked though, he was just glad to have one tonight. "Thanks again, Azmaria. I think I'm gonna sleep pretty well tonight."

"It's no trouble at all. Well, I think I'll be heading to bed myself. Sleep well, Jim."

"You too, Azmaria."

That night Jim slept better than he had in four years. He often had to remind himself that the conflict he was part of was now over and that there were no hostile Germans out to get him. Besides, the Germans were thousands of miles away. That part of his life was now a closed chapter in the book of his life. The remaining chapters were yet to be written.

Ewan wasn't asleep though. That was the last thing on his mind. Right now he was speaking with a close personal acquaintance of his about the situation regarding Jim. "Something is going on with that young man and he's not even aware of it. Why would _she_ reveal herself to him? What is it about him that she would do that?"

His acquaintance, a woman in her mid-forties, responded, "But how can you be sure, Ewan? You've only known him for a short while. What if it really was just his imagination? And you can't' be serious about bringing him here. You know our policy on strangers."

"Please, all I ask is that we see what happens. I think it is in our best interests to find out what's going on. If it turns out I was wrong, then we will have neither gained nor lost anything. Besides, with the situation as it is now, he could be an immense help. His skills are exactly what you need right now. Please, just consider it."

"I don't know why you've become so involved with him, but…alright. Bring him here at the first opportunity you can get. We'll see if there is really something about him."

The next morning Jim was greeted by the light of the sun streaming through his window, inviting him to wake up to a new day. He gladly accepted the offer, and stretched and groaned as he got out of his bed. After he made sure he was fully awake, he thought he would save Azmaria some trouble and made up his bed so that his host wouldn't be burdened with it later. Admiring his handiwork, he smiled for no apparent reason until he realized why he did: for the first time in a long time, life was good.

It got even better when he left his room and smelled a delicious scent coming from the kitchen. "_Seems like Azmaria made good on her promise about that breakfast."_

His curiosity got the better of him and as such he made his way to the kitchen to "investigate" as he called it. When he opened the door and looked inside, he was amazed at what he saw. Azmaria was busy making eggs sunny side up with toast and on the kitchen table behind her there were already two plates set out and a whole loaf of bread, cut into slices. Accompanying the bread was some fresh butter, strawberry jam, and last but not least a whole plate full of pancakes stacked on top of each other. Azmaria was not kidding when she said this was a breakfast he would not soon forget.

Azmaria noticed she was being watched and turned, looking straight at him with a smile on her face. "Good morning Jim. I hope you slept well."

"Better than I have in a long time. Smells good in here."

"Glad you like it. Come on, sit down. I'm just about to finish up."

Jim didn't need to be told twice. There was no way he was passing up Azmaria's cooking.

And what a feast it was. If he hadn't watched himself, he might have devoured everything on the table, it was that good. Azmaria was happy to cook for somebody who enjoyed her cooking, so she didn't mind at all. Afterwards, he helped her to clean up as thanks for the hearty breakfast she made for him.

Keeping in the spirit of cleaning up, Jim took a shower afterwards. If there was one thing he hadn't had in a while it was a shower. It was only when he opened his suitcase and saw just how lacking his wardrobe was that he realized he would need to find employment soon. _"I can't keep staying here without paying for it. Azmaria's been kind so far but sooner or later I'm gonna have to find a job. I already feel like I'm taking advantage of her generosity." _

He put on a white shirt and pair of brown pants along with the shoes he had been wearing so far. It was basically all he had to wear anyway. As soon as that first paycheck came, he was going to buy some new clothes as well as pay Azmaria her due for letting him stay there. Any further thoughts about his future were put on hold when he heard the doorbell ring. He knew Azmaria was nowhere near the door because she was in the backyard busy hanging up the laundry so he made himself useful and headed for the door. To his surprise, Ewan stood there after he opened it. "Hey Ewan. Didn't expect to see you here again so soon."

"Good day, Jim. I don't suppose you have any plans for today, do you?"

"Actually, I was thinking about getting a job soon."

"Before you give it any further consideration, I need you to come with me. It's regarding your encounter with the girl you told me about."

"Are you serious, Ewan? So soon already?"

"I can't promise anything, but it might help you on the right track. So are you coming with me or not?"

"Uh…yeah. I'll be right there, I just gotta go tell Azmaria I'll be out for a while."

After informing Azmaria he'd be gone for some time, he got in the car Ewan had arranged and made their way out of New York and into the countryside. Jim noticed that while the car was speeding along, Ewan didn't say a word, as if he was thinking about something deeply, with a worried look on his face. _"What's gotten into him? He's as quiet as a grave."_

"Hey, Ewan, what's wrong? Something bothering you?"

Ewan didn't respond immediately. Finally he answered, "Jim…don't worry. Everyone has their problems and we all deal with them differently. By the way, see that building in the distance? That's where we're headed."

In the distance, the building Ewan spoke of was coming into view. Jim could make out a large structure surrounded by a wall with a single gate being the only way in and out. As they got closer he could make out more of the structure bit by bit.

"So what's so special about this place, Ewan?"

"This, my friend, is where you'll find what you're looking for. If anything it will serve as a starting point. But let me give you a bit of advice: expect the unexpected."

"What the hell are you talking about? And what's your connection to this place?"

"It's…hard to explain right now. I was involved with this place years ago but I sometimes visit for old time's sake. There are many memories here for me, some good and some bad. But I promise all will be revealed soon."

As he said this, they drove through the gate. What was hidden behind the wall was now clear to see. Two large structures, one that looked like a kind of cathedral and another that was joined to it, stood out as being dominant. Several smaller buildings were located further away along with a small fountain. Now Jim was really curious as to why he was brought all the way out here.

"What is this place? Some kind of church?"

"Actually, this is the New York branch of the Order of Magdalan. Let me just park the car, then we can go inside."

"Wait, what are we doing here? How's a church in the middle of nowhere going to help me? I already told you I've been to just about every church in New York."

"Patience. I promise you that you'll know everything you need to know in due time."

Finally Ewan brought the vehicle to a stop. As they got out, Jim surveyed his surroundings. This looked like an ordinary church, but if what Ewan said was anything to go by, it was for from it. He followed behind Ewan and took in more of what he saw.

The grounds surrounding the buildings weren't abandoned; there were people coming and going all the time. But what caught Jim's eye was the number of young nuns compared to all the other people he passed on the way. _"They can't be older than sixteen at the most. What are they doing here? Kinda young to want to be a nun, isn't it?" _

By now they had arrived at the entrance to the larger of the two buildings, two large doors made of glass. The inside was dull; basically, a large, open area with large windows and a staircase leading to the floors above.

"_Well, isn't that just a coincidence? He used to be a minister and now we're at a church. I'd bet my last dollar he used to work here."_

One of the young nuns approached them, and said, "Mr. Remington, welcome. Sister Kate is expecting you and your friend. Should I show you the way?"

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I know my way around. Come, Jim. Your answers are just up those stairs."

"_About goddamn time. How long were you gonna keep me waiting?"_

Jim had no choice but to follow his guide up the stairs, around a corner and down a hallway until they came to a stop in front of a door. After Ewan knocked on it, a voice from the inside answered, "Come in, it's open." Obliging the request, they both stepped inside to an office with large windows. You could probably see everything that was going on outside from there. In front of the windows was a wooden desk, and sitting behind the desk was a middle-aged nun, who Jim thought had to be Sister Kate. It seemed like she was in charge of everything that went on here.

"Ewan, good to see you. I see you brought your…friend with you."

The way she said "friend" made Jim uncomfortable, as if she didn't like him from the word go. The way she looked at him with that penetrating stare didn't help to make him feel comfortable either. _"What's her problem?"_

"Yes, this is the young man I told you about, Sister Kate."

An awkward atmosphere reigned in the room until Sister Kate took her stare off Jim. "I see. Ewan has told me quiet a bit about you. Your name is Jim, if memory serves."

"Yes, ma'am."

"For some reason only Ewan knows, he's taken an interest in you, enough of an interest to convince me to try and help you. He discussed with me the nature of what you experienced, so I decided to make an exception in your case, but only because I have known him for a long time and for no other reason. Understand, young man, that what I am about to tell you is not to be repeated to anyone from the outside. Whatever is said in this room stays in this room. Are we clear on this?"

"_What the hell is up with all this? You'd swear she was about to tell me something earth shattering or something. Oh well, just humor her for now." _

"Crystal clear, ma'am."

"Good. I'm glad we understand each other. As I said before, I already know all the details, Ewan told me everything. I am in a position to help you, starting with this."

She took out a personal file from one of drawers in her desk and laid it down in front of Jim. With a confused look, he asked, "What's this for?"

"Open it. You'll see why once you do."

He wasn't sure what to make of this, but he picked up the file anyway and looked inside. The first two pages didn't look interesting, just text everywhere. The third page, however, was an eye-opener: two photos caught his eye. Jim couldn't believe what he was seeing. But surely it couldn't be…and yet there it was. The girl he saw on the beach on June 6th 1944 and the girl in the photo were identical! The same hair, the same eyes, the same everything!

He was speechless, nearly dropping the file out of sheer shock. It took him a moment to regain his composure. Even then he found it hard to hide his disbelief. "Is that the girl that appeared to you?", Sister Kate asked.

"Uh…yeah, it's her, definitely her. But how is this possible…"

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't finish that sentence. He really had no idea what to say next. Nothing he could say would make any sense of this.

Seeing the condition Jim was in, Sister Kate continued what she wanted to say. "The girl in the photo used to live here as a nun and as an agent of this organization. You tried to get her full name before she left you, but you only got a small fragment of it. I'll not keep you waiting any longer. Her full name is Rosette Christopher."

Finally Jim was able to place a name with the face as well. A part of the mystery that surrounded her was now gone. But there was still so much more to learn if the whole mystery in its entirety was to be unraveled.

"_So that's her real name. I think it suits her. Hey, what's this?" _

He noticed two dates under the photos: 1912-1929. "So…she's dead."

"Yes. You saw the dates under the photos, right?", Sister Kate responded, seemingly having lost a bit of her commanding presence. In fact, she looked quite vulnerable at the moment. Rosette must have made quite an impression on the lives of everyone at this church.

"You…miss her, don't you?"

Sister Kate stood up from her chair and took a position in front of the large window behind her, looking over the outside as she continued her part of the story. "Every day. Lord knows I've tried to accept what happened to her in the end, but…it's hard. She was so young and full of life. Many nights I've gone on my knees and asked why she had to live the kind of life she did. But this is a cruel world and not everyone gets the fairy tale ending. There were days I thought I was going murder that girl for all the times she stood in front of me trying to look innocent after wrecking a car or damaging a building for the umpteenth time. Despite all this, she only meant well. She was always loyal to her duty as a Sister of this Order. Even when all seemed lost, she tried to stay cheerful. Sometimes, I still expect her to walk through that door, trying to look as innocent as possible because she knows I'm going to yell at her again."

For a while silence reigns in the room. Jim gathered his thoughts while Sister Kate looked at the outside through the window and Ewan just stood there, lost in his own thoughts. When Jim was ready, he spoke again. "So you worked here as a minister, right?", he asked, aiming the question at Ewan, who seemed surprised that Jim had figured it out.

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Simple: Azmaria called you a minister, and you told me that you were involved with this place years ago. Doing the math afterwards was easy."

"Yes, you are correct. I was a Minister of this organization, and Sister Kate's second in command. I also knew Rosette very well."

"I'm gonna take a wild guess, but Azmaria worked here too, right? Did she know Rosette?"

"Very sharp today, aren't we? Yes, she used to work here too until she met that young man and got engaged. She knew Rosette personally. You should ask her if she would share her memories of Rosette with you when we get back to her place."

"So everything that happened at the café….you knew who I was talking about all along. Am I right, Ewan?"

"It all seemed too good to be true. For that reason, I felt I had to speak to Sister Kate. Your case seemed exceptional to me, exceptional in the sense that Rosette decided to show herself to you specifically, and I think it is in our best interests to find out exactly why. It was also necessary for me to secure permission for you to come here. Due to the nature of the work of the Order, not just anyone can enter freely, Jim."

"And that's my other question: what is it that you do here? Why all the cloak-and-dagger secrecy?"

Sister Kate, who had only been listening thus far, entered the conversation, adding her bit to it. "Jim, I need you to listen carefully now. What I am about to tell you is kept secret to the masses. Not a word of this leaves this room. Do you understand?"

"_Oh great, not this again." _

"Yes, ma'am. My lips are sealed."

"I think you had better sit down for this. You will find this hard to digest at first."

Following her advice, Jim found a chair and made himself comfortable. After he had done so, Sister Kate continued her story. "The Order of Magdalan is not your typical church. This organization is dedicated to fighting the unseen evils that threaten this world."

"Unseen evils?"

"Supernatural phenomenon. I'll be straight with you, Jim. We fight ghosts, evil spirits, and above all, demons."

Even though Ewan had told him to expect the unexpected, this was far different from what Jim expected. Ghosts? Evil spirits? Surely she couldn't expect him to believe all this. Sister Kate was right; this was hard to digest.

"You don't seem to believe me, Jim. Let me assure you its all true. Remington can confirm it all for you. He was a Minister at this Monastery, after all."

"This is…look, I'm not saying you're lying but…this is a lot to take in. So you're saying all this is just a front for what you're really doing?"

"No, the church does have members, admittedly not as many as other churches, and everyone who works here is involved in one way or another. We are a real church, we just have…secondary duties, if you want to call it that."

"And those young nuns, Sister Kate? What are they doing here?"

"Believe it or not, Jim, they are the ones on the frontlines. They take up arms against our enemies and fight them. We provide them with all the training and weapons, and once they have finished their training, they acquire the rank of Exorcist. That's not the end though; after all this, they are sent on missions and patrol duty."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but Rosette was an Exorcist, right? Is that why you called her an agent of this organization?"

"Yes, she was an Exorcist, one of the best. But she had an uncanny knack for destruction. I can't even remember how many cars she wrecked or how many buildings she destroyed."

"How'd she do that?"

"Only she will ever know. If I had a dollar for every time she caused damage one way or another I'd be a millionaire by now. I know she didn't mean to be destructive, she meant well. I tried to punish her to encourage her to be more careful but it only lasted a short while. But that was who Rosette was and nothing could change it."

"Sister Kate, I have a question to ask."

"Ask whatever you want. That's why you're here."

"How did…Rosette die?"

At first it seemed like Sister Kate was hesitant to comply with this request, but eventually she said, "To understand the circumstances of her death, I would have to go into her background."

"I've got the time."

For the next hour and a half, Jim listened in astonishment as Sister Kate and Ewan took turns telling the story of Rosette's life. He thought what he heard before was crazy, but this was nothing compared to what he was told so far. Suffice it to say, Jim was speechless when the story was told to its end. For him the strangest of all was that Rosette's soul was bound to a demon, the very beings she fought all her life.

"Hell…I don't know what to say. This is…crazy to say the least. Actually I do remember something about San Francisco being nearly destroyed and the appearance of a "saint." But I was only a kid when it all happened, I can't recall everything. I guess when the Depression came we had other things to worry about. So what happened to Chrono after Rosette died?"

"He just vanished into thin air and we never saw him again, Jim. We don't know if he's dead or alive."

"And where's Joshua now?"

"Aion's brainwashing eventually wore off, but he's just not the same anymore. At the moment Joshua is at the San Francisco branch of the Order helping any way he can. It's his way of redeeming himself for all the destruction he believes he took part in, whether he was brainwashed or not."

"Okay, last question: I'm not trying to be ungrateful, because I'm not, but I'm sure you're just as curious as I am to know why, out all the soldiers on Omaha, Rosette appeared only to me. Any ideas?"

"We can't be sure what her motivation was. The number of theories is near endless, so no; I can't give you a definite answer, Jim."

The one answer he was looking for and they didn't have one for him. Still, he knew Sister Kate and Ewan were only human and couldn't possibly know what Rosette's reasons were. The only one who could tell him would be Rosette herself, but what were the chances of seeing her again? He accepted the fact that he would probably never know, and at least this was not wasted time. He had found answers like he wanted. But what was next? What path in life should he be going down now? A job came to mind, but it could be long before he finally figured out what he was good at. He really didn't know what to do with his life now.

As if he was reading his mind, Ewan asked, "So what do you intend to do now, Jim? Your search is over; you found what you were looking for. Do you have any specific plans for the future?"

"Actually I was thinking about getting a job so I can start paying Azmaria for letting me stay with her. I know she said she doesn't mind me being there, but I should really be earning my keep. She would disagree if I said this, but I feel like I'm leeching off her. Problem is, I don't what I'm good at. I was good at being a soldier, but someone with my skills isn't really in high demand now that the war is over."

"You have heard of the GI Bill of Rights, haven't you?"

(Author's Note: The GI Bill of Rights was passed by the U.S government in 1944, and it offered millions of war veterans the opportunity to obtain a free college education, a good job, and a comfortable home.)

"Of course I did, Ewan. Show me a single soldier who hasn't. Even if I did use my rights as a war veteran I still don't know what kind of job I'll end up with. But I guess beggars can't be choosers."

"Actually, you are wrong, Jim. There is an employer who needs someone with your experience and skills and who needs it urgently."

"Oh yeah? And just who would that be, Ewan?"

This sounded a bit too good to be true. An employer who needs someone equipped with the skills of the soldier? Who still needs those qualifications in this day and age, except maybe for the army?

"Perhaps Sister Kate should explain. She can describe the situation better than I can."

Jim was unsure what to make of this. For some reason he couldn't explain, he had an uneasy feeling about this.

"_Just what the hell are they getting at here?"_

"You said you were looking for a job, right Jim? Then maybe we can help you with that. You see, we are in a desperate situation here; we are short on trained personnel. Our combat trainer was sent to another branch last month, but we haven't received a replacement yet. All our branches are facing this problem. When the war broke out, the armed forces took most of the potential young men and women that might have joined us one day. Also, people don't seem to be as faithful in going to church as they used to be and this might be because the war has shaken their faith. You know how people are, when something like this happens, they ask, "Why did God allow this?", and when they can't find the answers, they start doubting. As it is now, we have to find the expertise we need from outside the organization."

"So what does any of this have to do with me, Sister Kate?"

"As I said, we have no combat trainer, and a shortage of staff. We have to make do with what we have. Our younger Sisters have almost no training, and the more experienced Sisters have a workload that prevents them from facilitating any kind of training program in between missions and patrols. I'll cut to the chase, Jim. I want to ask if you would take over as our combat trainer. You have combat experience and you know weapons and tactics. You would be perfect for this job. What do you say?"

Once again Jim found himself speechless, which seemed to be the theme for the day. Was she really saying what he thought she was saying? Surely she was only joking.

"You…can't be serious, Sister Kate. Just how am I supposed to teach a bunch of kids to fight? How am I supposed to teach them to fight an enemy I've never even fought yet? Have you thought any of this through? Do you have any idea what you're asking of me?"

"But Jim, according to Ewan, you were a member of the Army Rangers, and as I understand it they are an elite unit. It is because you were in an elite unit that makes you the best candidate for this position. You're training makes you far better than any regular soldier and that is what we are looking for."

"And just who came up with the idea?"

"Jim, don't be angry with Sister Kate. It was I who suggested to her that I bring you here. When you told me about your army background, I thought you would be a possible candidate to replace the combat trainer that left not so long ago. I was aware of the problem and took a chance. This is one the reasons I brought you here."

"You son of a…how dare you lie to me! You never told me about this! If I had a gun here right now, I'd shoot you where you stand! You think just because I'm looking for a job that I'm desperate? I'll tell you what you can do with your job, you can stick it where the sun don't shine!"

"And what is so wrong with this job? I thought it would be ideal for someone like you. You said you didn't know what you're good at and this is as close to being a soldier as you can get without being shot at."

"That's not what I mean, Ewan! I just came back from fighting a war for nearly four years, and the last thing I want to do is hold a weapon in my hand with the intent to kill. I've done enough of that for one lifetime. Do you have any idea of the kind of emotional stress you're under during a war? Moral boundaries are nonexistent, and anyone is fair game. I killed a lot of people, men who were somebody's father, husband, son, brother or cousin. They were people with their own dreams and goals, but the politicians decided we had to kill each other. I never hated the Germans before the war started and I didn't start hating them during the war. They were just following orders like I and every other soldier had to do. I really hated what I had to do, but that's war. I often found myself trembling after a particularly hard battle, knowing full well that I was responsible for killing who knows how many people. This one time, we came across the body of a German soldier after a fight, but he was barely even that. He looked like he wasn't even old enough to shave yet. He had his whole life ahead of him but he'll never get the chance to see a world without war now. The craziest part of all is that you had to ignore all that and just learn to live with it. It was my survival against theirs. Pulling the trigger was too easy."

"I'm…sorry, Jim. I never knew that was how you felt. I should have given it more thought before assuming you'd be eager for the job."

"Damn right! No one knows what it's like. I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna teach a bunch of kids how to point a gun at someone and pull the trigger. You'll just have to find someone who's willing, but as for me, I'm done."

Silence fell upon the room once more. Sister Kate and Ewan were disappointed that Jim did not accept the offer of replacing the combat trainer, but they understood what he meant as well. Those were his wishes and they had to abide by it.

"_I can't believe they wanted me to…hell no, there's no way. I know I gotta put the war behind me, but I'm not ready yet."_

Suddenly, without warning, he saw Rosette in his mind's eye and the words she said to him echoed through his mind: you've been given a second chance. Don't waste it. Is this part of what she meant? Did he not promise her that his fears and personal issues wouldn't get the better of him anymore? That he would face them head on? By refusing the job, he was effectively breaking that promise to her.

"_I'm doing exactly the opposite of what I said I would. What would Rosette do in this situation? She'd rise to the challenge, that's what. Why shouldn't I do the same?"_

"Listen, maybe I overreacted a little. I guess it wouldn't do any harm if I took over as the combat trainer. Just until you get someone better to take my place."

Understandably, Ewan and Sister Kate were looking at Jim with surprised expressions on their faces. That was the fastest they had ever seen anyone change their mind. Ewan was the first one to gain control of his vocal chords and said, "I'm glad to hear you've had a change of heart. Why, though? You made it quite clear you weren't interested."

"I made a promise to Rosette that I would never let fear stand in my way again. If I don't accept this job I feel like I'll have broken that promise, and I take promises seriously. So, Sister Kate, when do I start?"

"As soon as you are able. As you know, the groups you'll be working with are all girls, but don't go easy on them because of that. They have to be prepared for anything, and I trust you will do an excellent job with them."

"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure how I'm gonna do it, but what the hell, I'll try anyway."

"Just do your best, that's all we ask. I think it might be a good idea for Jim to see firsthand what he'll be dealing with. If it's okay with you, Sister Kate, I suggest that I should take him out on patrol duty for a week or so, just to get his feet wet, metaphorically speaking."

"I see no reason why you shouldn't, Ewan. It would definitely serve to introduce him to our way of doing of things. What do you say, Jim?"

"I don't mind, Sister Kate. The sooner I get started, the better."

"I suppose you'll want to discuss your payment while we're here?"

"Not really. Just pay me what you think is fair. I'm not in this to get rich, as long as I have enough to pay Azmaria for all she's done for me. We can sort out all the other financial details later."

"Let me be the first to officially welcome you to the Order of Magdalan as a member of our organization. Wait, let me rephrase that. You're actually a non-official member, but a member nonetheless. You just haven't been accepted into the Order through the proper channels, but there's no time for that now. And by the way, we'll do everything in our power to find out why Rosette appeared to you. I believe it is in our best interests to know more."

"It doesn't matter, Ewan. We'll probably never know why she did it, and that's fine by me. It's not gonna help any of us chasing after something we could never get the answers for."

Ewan was not so sure of that, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Even if Jim didn't think so, there had to be a specific reason why Rosette did what she did.

"_There is something about you, Jim. It's a pity you can't see if for yourself. I'll just have to continue my investigations on my own." _

"Well, if there's nothing else to be said or done, I believe we should be going, Jim."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks for everything, Ewan, Sister Kate. You've helped me in more than one way and I don't know how I could ever repay you."

"Just do your best with training our Sisters. That's all the thanks we need."

And so began a new phase in Jim's life, one that would take him down avenues he could never have foreseen in his wildest dreams….

Author's note: And so we come to the end of another chapter, hope you enjoyed it. For those who are wondering, I based this fic on the Chrono Crusade anime, but with a few changes: Aion is dead, Chrono is…well, he's still there but you'll just have to keep reading to find out what I intend to do with him, and as you have already read, Azmaria left the Order to start a new life with her fiancée, and in addition, Joshua is now a grown man who is no longer under the effects of Aion's brainwashing. (I've only watched the anime so far, but I'm working on getting my hands on the manga soon.)

Hope everything makes sense. Well, until next time, this is Saracen Redhawk signing off…


	4. The Return Part 4

The Return

Author's note: Hi there. Been a while hasn't it? Sorry it took so long, but if any of you know how busy and hectic my life has been so far you'd understand. Unfortunately, for reasons of national security I cannot reveal what kept me from finishing this chapter. Don't ask either. If you do and I tell you, I'll also have to kill you.

Enough of me and my excuses, all I will say for now is, enjoy!

The Return

Part 4

It was well past eight o' clock when Ewan dropped off Jim at Azmaria's house. "Thanks for everything. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Glad to be of help. You should talk to Azmaria and see if she'll tell you more about Rosette. Maybe it will help you understand who she was a little bit better."

"Will do."

Jim knocked on the front door as Ewan drove off. He didn't wait long for his host to open the door for him. "Jim, glad you're back. I saved some dinner for you. It's still warm, so come on in."

Soon they were seated at the dining room table. As usual, Azmaria's cooking could not be faulted and Jim enjoyed the food immensely. "This is some great stuff, Azmaria. Where'd you learn how to cook like this?"

"It was just practice and a lot of trial and error. You probably wouldn't believe me if I told there was a time when I couldn't even follow a recipe."

"All the practice paid off. You're definitely one of the best cooks I've ever met."

"Thank you. I do my best."

After dinner, Jim helped Azmaria with the dishes. When they were done with that, they sat down in the living room with coffee and biscuits. "So Jim, how'd it go? Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Oh yeah…I found my answers and a whole lot more. Ewan took me to this old church out in the countryside. He said it was the New York branch of the Order of Magdalan. I met the person in charge, a nun by the name of Sister Kate, and she had a few interesting stories to tell."

"Minister Remington took you there? Why?"

"Because the girl I saw that day on the beach was none other than Sister Rosette Christopher. I was told you two knew each other."

Azmaria look a little schocked at what she heard. This was the last thing she was expecting and realized she couldn't keep hiding her past from her guest anymore. "So…how much do you know about me and my past life with the Order?"

"Well, where should I start? You first met Rosette when she rescued you from Ricardo Hendric, and since then you were really close. I also know you were one of the Apostles and that you can't use your powers anymore even if you wanted to. The rest is history."

"I see. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I would've had so much explaining to do if I had to tell you my life story. I doubted you would have believed me if I told you exactly what the Order was and what I was doing there all those years. Yes, I did know Rosette very well, she was like an older sister to me. She, along with Chrono, helped me get over my childish fears and showed me that not everyone was out to hurt me. It was because of them that I was able to face the world and confront everything that had happened to me. I'm the person I am today because of them and I miss them so much every day. They say it becomes less painful as the years go by, but I don't think I'll ever get over what happened to her. It just wasn't fair at all. She didn't deserve it."

"Sounds like she had an effect on everyone she met. I know she had an effect on me."

"She did, believe me, she did. Maybe it was her determination in everything she did, or maybe it was because she never gave up no matter what. Even when the odds were against her she charged in guns blazing, never looking back, and never regretting anything."

"The person you're describing now and the person I met sound like two different people, Azmaria."

"Rosette was gentle, too. She may have acted tough sometimes, but she had a heart of gold. They did tell you about Satella Havenheit, right?"

"She also went by the name of the Jewel Witch. She used her summoning powers to help her hunt demons, and because of this, her path often crossed with Rosette's. They both had a common enemy in Aion. I also know about her reunion with her sister that didn't go too well."

"I see they told you everything down to the last detail. Rosette was also competitive, and this sometimes led to her arguing with Satella, often with humorous results. Eventually they became like friends. If only things hadn't turned out the way they did…"

Jim wondered if he shouldn't change the subject. Azmaria was looking off into empty space as if she was reminiscing about the old days, wishing that destiny had chosen another path for her and her past friends. Clearly she wasn't over what happened and maybe she never would be.

"_I can't begin to imagine how she must feel after all these years. Maybe I shouldn't keep pushing her like this. I can always ask her about Chrono a little bit later." _

"Something else happened today: Sister Kate offered me a job as their combat trainer."

"Combat trainer? I thought they had one."

"Not anymore. He got transferred to another branch and so far no one has replaced him yet. That was, until Ewan told Sister Kate about my army background. She offered me the job and I accepted. Ewan's gonna pick me up tomorrow and show me the ropes."

"I hope you'll be happy, Jim. I'm sure you'll do a great job."

"Thanks, Azmaria. Ewan also said that he'd try to find out why Rosette showed herself to me. I think he's wasting his time."

"Why's that?"

"Because the chances of me seeing her and talking to her again are less than zero, we're talking negative digits here. I also think it's strange that she appeared only to me, but I've accepted it and moved on. I don't know why Ewan is so hell-bent on going through with it, but I can't tell him what to do anyway."

_The next day… _

As he promised, Ewan fetched Jim and showed him how the Order operated. He was shown their weapons, training methods, and training facilities so Jim could get a feel for their way of doing things. That night, they both went on patrol near Brooklyn. Ewan expected it to be a quiet night anyway, but it was not to be. They were in the center of Brooklyn when the phone on the ammo box came to life. Sister Kate's voice was on the other end, telling them about a disturbance not five blocks from where they were. A little girl had been kidnapped earlier that night from her house. The police managed to trail her and the kidnapper to an old abandoned building but they didn't dare to go in there because the kidnapper was known for having connections to occult groups. They didn't know what they'd find in there.

Not long after, Jim and Ewan arrived at the scene. Ewan got out of the car and spoke to the officer in charge. "We saw him go in there for sure. We'd go in there ourselves but you guys are the experts with this kind of situation. You'll have to hurry if you want to save her. There's no telling what he's gonna do to her."

"Thank you, Captain, we'll deal with it from here. Come, Jim. We may be too late already."

"You don't need to tell me twice. I'm right behind you", he replied as he went about loading a full clip into his weapon, a Colt .45. They entered the building from the front and stuck together, since there was safety in numbers. "Look for a door leading to a lower level. That's most likely where he's taken her."

"You mean this door, Ewan?", Jim answered, pointing to a door that was ajar. A quick peek inside revealed stairs going down. "Good job, Jim. We should be cautious from here on out. Theirs is no telling what is waiting for us down there, he might not be alone. He might even be a demon using a human disguise for all we know. However, if he is human we should try to capture him and find out if he's acting on his own or if he was ordered to do this, and if that is the case, who he got his orders from."

"No problem, Ewan. I'll try to be careful."

They descended down the stairs and the further they went the more Jim was feeling uneasy about this place. The blood on the walls didn't help either. People have died here, Jim thought, and it must have been painful and terrible. What kind of monster were they dealing with here? Almost immediately Jim wanted to reprimand himself for even thinking that. Of course he knew what they were dealing with. That was obvious. That was why they were there.

They stopped in front of yet another door at the end of the corridor they were in. If the kidnapper was in there, he had nowhere else to go. "Alright Jim, on the count of three, we kick the door down! Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"One, two, three!"

The door came crashing down with thunderous force. A cloud of dust swept up from the floor, momentarily blocking their vision. When the dust had literally settled, they saw something that gave them both chills: there was blood on the walls and strange symbols as well as burning candles that gave the whole room an eerie feel. In the middle of the room was the kidnapper with a knife in hand, and below him the little girl they came to save, bound and gagged with a look of sheer terror in her eyes. They were in a circle drawn on the ground surrounded by strange markings.

The girl's kidnapper stared at them both for a few seconds before he gained control of his vocal chords. "Who are you people!? You're not supposed to be here! Wait…you're from that Order, aren't you? No matter, the sacrifice must continue. My master requires it!"

The next moments would forever be a blur in Jim's memories. The moment he saw that knife coming down on the girl's chest, it was as if his reflexes were not his own. Driven purely by instinct and a desire to save that young girl's life, he pointed his gun at the kidnapper with lightning speed and pulled the trigger. Metal met metal as the bullet ricocheted off the knife, sending it flying out of its owner's hands. More shots were fired, each one a hit as they passed through the kidnapper's body, his blood decorating the floor. Ewan witnessed all of this and was doing his best to calm Jim down. He grabbed the hand Jim was using to aim his weapon and forced it downwards while attempting to get through to him. "Jim, get a grip on yourself! We need him alive! You can stop shooting!"

Recognizing Ewan's voice helped Jim to snap out of the trance he was in. Everything came into focus. He felt his trigger finger still applying full force on the trigger, and it would have meant another bullet flying around the room if the clip was not empty. Fortunately for the kidnapper, there was no more ammo left to fire or else he'd be a dead man. He was barely alive as it was, bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds courtesy of Jim's accuracy. The bullets meant for demons were just as effective in injuring humans as well. Luckily, an ambulance was nearby and he was rushed off to a hospital where he would be kept under police custody until he was ready to talk. Further investigation of the basement revealed that this was not the first time he had struck. The bodies of other people were found as well, which meant he had been at this for a long time.

Later that night, as they were driving home, Ewan asked Jim what happened to him. "I don't know. I can't explain it. It was like my body was not mine, like I was being controlled just by instinct. I wanted to save that little girl's life so I did what I had to do. At least that sick bastard won't be kidnapping anyone for a long time. I'm just glad we got there when we did. She still has her whole life ahead of her, but it could have been over so fast. I never want to see something that unfair ever again."

"I understand what you're getting at, Jim, but you should have exercised more restraint. He was the only lead we had and you almost killed him…not that I blame you. If it was me I'd probably do the same thing. And this was your first time on patrol duty, so I can't be too hard on you. But next time try to be more careful."

"You know what else happened to me?"

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"When I saw that knife coming down on her, it was like…I saw everything happen in slow motion while my own reflexes were somehow….enhanced. I really can't explain it. It must have been adrenaline or something, I don't know. At least she's safe now."

"Listen, Jim, are you sure you want to continue with this? Perhaps it would be better if you just stuck to training rather than active patrol duty for a while."

"Are you friggin' kidding me!? What the hell makes you think I'm gonna quit now? Now that I know the truth I can't turn away from it! I'm gonna do everything I can to make these streets as safe as possible."

Ewan was quite surprised at Jim's reaction. "So you're prepared to go all the way?"

The expression on Jim's face did not change. "What do you think?"

Ewan smiled to himself; this young man, this Jim Patterson, may in time turn out to be one of the Order's best assets.

The rest of the week went by too fast for Jim's taste. Every night they had a different situation to handle and it wasn't long before his skills were sharpened again, just like they were when he was still a professional soldier. It was exactly what Ewan wanted, for Jim to get back into that frame of mind again. He had to be at his best if he was going to handle the responsibility of training the Order's Sisters, a demanding job at the best of times. However, Ewan could see that Jim was more than ready for this and on Monday morning he introduced the trainees to their new trainer. They were all gathered outside at the front entrance of the main building.

"Ladies, as you know your combat trainer was transferred to another branch last month, so your training had to be halted. I am pleased to tell you that our problem concerning a trainer has been solved. Everyone, say hello to the young man on my left, Jim Patterson. He came back from fighting the war a few weeks ago and has been a recipient of a medal not once but twice in his Army career and if that wasn't enough, he served with an elite Army unit. I think you'll all agree that he is most qualified for the job. I expect you to treat Mr. Patterson with respect at all times and don't give him too much trouble. Listen to what he has to say, because this training will save your life one day. Right, I've said enough for now. I'll leave you in the hands of Mr. Patterson, and good luck to you."

Ewan turned and walked away. _Good luck indeed_, he thought. _You're going to need it because you have no idea what he's got in store for you. _

Jim wasted no time in establishing his authority. He had them line up in rows of ten and ended up with seven rows, giving him a grand total of seventy trainees, but he knew that already. He had been over their records and knew what their capabilities were, but what he was doing now was just to get them to understand who was in charge here. Next he addressed them with a speech of his own.

"Mr. Remington probably told you all you needed to know, but that doesn't mean I can't add to what he told you. If we're all gonna get along then there's three rules I need you to remember, so commit this to memory. Rule number one: You'll do what I say when I say it without question. Rule number two: This ties in with rule number one, in other words, unless I give you a command you will not do anything unless told to do so. Rule number three: You'll all call me Sir, or Mr. Patterson, it's up to you. If any of you happen to call me by my real name, accidentally or intentionally, I'll have you doing a speed march with full gear while the rest of your friends are enjoying dinner, and you'll keep doing it until I get tired. Do we understand each other?"

By now they were thoroughly frightened of Jim and were not sure what to say for fear of saying the wrong thing. They looked at him not knowing what to expect. Jim was still waiting for an answer and decided to shake things up a little.

"I SAID, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

That was enough to make them all stand at attention. With one voice, they said, "Sir, yes, Sir!"

A smile formed on Jim's face. Looking at them reminded him about when he showed up at boot camp for the first time, a fresh faced young man who looked like a deer staring at the headlights of an oncoming car. Absolutely clueless. That was how he was back then and this is how they were now. The only difference was that he was the one giving the orders now, playing the part of the badass drill sergeant.

"_Don't know why, but it feels good to have that kind of power for a change. I've taken orders for so long that I've always wondered what it was like giving them. Seriously, are these kids supposed to be at the frontlines like Sister Kate said? Then I've got my work cut out for me. They don't look like Exorcist material yet, but maybe that's just because they haven't had real training. No use judging them before I've seen what they can do."_

Jim continued by explaining exactly what kind of training they would do and how it would be done and thus began their journey down the road to becoming genuine Exorcists. For the first week or so, Jim tested their general level of fitness by having them do a few laps around the Monastery grounds everyday and made it part of their daily routine to run a few laps before breakfast. Once he was satisfied that they were able to handle that, he moved on to weapons training, which he spent a lot of time on.

"If their gonna use these weapons, they have to know the responsibilities and dangers involved with them", was Jim's reasoning. "I sure as hell don't want accidents to happen when their handling them."

He expected them to know the capabilities of all the weapons they used as well as how to take those weapons apart for maintenance purposes and how to put them back together again. They spent time at the shooting range which had been built just before Jim had arrived and taught them about accuracy and the correct stance for handling their weapons. All these activities went better than expected and many of them proved to be deadly accurate if they had to be.

But even though most of them were doing well, there is always the exception. Her name was Anna Mackenzie, a young girl approaching her early twenties with green eyes and long golden brown hair tied up at the back. Out of all the trainees, she was the one who gave him the most trouble. One day she happened to be training in the use of a Thompson submachine gun, a very deadly weapon at close range, but she often missed her target because of an incorrect stance. One could often hear her muttering under her breath, "stupid gun," and other similar comments. Jim was quick to notice this and approached her just as she finished another clip. Before she could reload, Jim was beside her and asked, "Any problems, Miss Mackenzie?"

She turned her head and saw her instructor there, trying not to show her aggravation at his unwanted presence. "No problem at all, Sir", she responded, but it was all too clear that the way she said it was not the case. Jim kept his cool and acted like this was a normal situation. "Doesn't look like it to me. That target you've been shooting at for the last half hour should be in a hundred little pieces by now, but I can count only about 20 holes in that thing. You've wasted about 20 clips, which means only one bullet from every clip made it to the target. You think if you had a demon charging at you that you'd survive if you did things the way you're doing them now?"

Anna sighed and her head dropped; clearly she was trying to avoid his gaze and answering the question. Jim took it as a sign that she didn't know and perhaps didn't care. "Of course not. You want to pump that son of a gun full of lead as fast as possible. So let's start from the beginning. Show me how you're supposed to hold that weapon of yours."

She assumed the stance but almost immediately Jim pointed out what she was doing wrong. "You see, that's your problem. To compensate for the recoil, the butt of the weapon has to be in line with your shoulder. I've told you that before. Here, I'll show you."

He took the Thompson from her, positioned himself with the butt against his shoulder, aimed, and squeezed the trigger. The gun released its load of ammunition and reduced the paper target to shreds.

"Now that's how you handle a Thompson. Also remember to fire in shorts bursts. If you keep firing in full auto, the recoil is gonna get too rough, you're gonna waste ammo, and your accuracy is gonna drop. Think you can handle it now?"

"Yes, sir", she responded, looking like she really wasn't interested at all. This attitude of hers was starting to get to him. No matter what he did, her attitude towards him and the training program just wouldn't improve. He was a little more than annoyed, and snapped at her, "Ms. Mackenzie, are you sure you want to be an Exorcist?'

"Sir?"

"I asked, are you sure you want to be an Exorcist?"

"Yes….sir", she answered, uncertain why he would even ask a question like that.

"Then start acting like it! You say you want to be an Exorcist, but you've got a long way to proving that you belong here."

_A week later…_

Jim and Sister Kate were discussing the progress the Sisters were making in her office at lunchtime. Jim had mostly good things to report and he was very impressed with his trainees. "They're doing real good. They're doing their laps every morning and their getting the hang of their weapons. Some of them are getting close to one hundred percent accuracy on the shooting range. Make no mistake, it's still gonna take some time before they're ready, but they'll get there eventually."

"That's good to hear. Keep up the good work, Jim. Ewan was right to bring you here. I should have trusted him, he's never led me astray before."

"Well…there is one little problem."

"Oh? What kind of problem, Jim?"

"It's one of my trainees, Anna Mackenzie. She never seems to listen and she never seems to care. Just the other day I told her that if she wants to be an Exorcist she's got a long way to proving that she belongs here. I thought it would get through to her, but it obviously didn't. I honestly don't know what her problem is. Maybe I did or said something that offended her."

Sister Kate frowned a bit and said, "Jim, Anna has…a troubled past. She arrived here a little over a year ago and as far as I know she doesn't have any real friends to speak of. She prefers to be by herself and never talks to anyone unless she has to. I never could find out why she behaves like she does, but it clearly had its origins from something that happened to her. What you're dealing with now has been in the making for a long time."

"That's still no excuse. She knows what she let herself in for when she arrived here. But I've got a little surprise for her. I'm gonna take all of them on patrol with me one by one so they can start getting some practical experience and Ms. Mackenzie is first on my list. She'll be my partner tonight and she'd better be ready 'cause I'm not gonna be very forgiving after all she's put me through."

"Don't you think you should wait a while before you do that? Maybe you should try to find out what's bothering her first. It wouldn't hurt to talk to her and hearing what she has to say."

"Sister Kate, with Anna it's in the one ear and out the other. Don't worry, tonight is gonna be the night when I get through to her. The whole idea is for her to jump into the deep end and seeing if she can swim. When she sees that she can barely keep her head above water, she'll come around."

"Alright, Jim. I'll leave it up to you."

_Later that night…_

Jim and Anna were waiting around in Brooklyn for some action. Their car was parked next to the Brooklyn Bridge and the only sounds that could be heard was the traffic and their breathing. They didn't say a thing to each other nor risked a glance in the other's direction.

Anna was not pleased that she had to be Jim's partner for the night but she couldn't refuse even if she wanted to. All she could do was to gather her gear and go with Jim. She made no secret of it that she couldn't stand being in the same car as he was, but Jim didn't allow it to bother him.

"_She's gonna get the shock of her life tonight when she sees her attitude isn't doing her any favors. That is, if anything actually happens tonight. We've been sitting here for the last hour and I haven't heard so much as a ring from the phone."_

As if fate had decreed it, the phone on the ammo box rang, breaking the silence. In a flash, Jim picked it up and was greeted with Sister Kate's voice on the end. After Sister Kate was done, Jim started up the engine. "Who was that?"

"Sister Kate. We have to get going right away. There's a disturbance not far from here, Anna, and we're the only team they have in this area."

Five minutes later, they arrived at the scene of the reported disturbance. Several police cars were parked outside the bar where it was all taking place. As soon as they had stopped, Jim approached the officer in charge, an elderly man who had a commanding presence about him. "What's going on, Captain?"

"Oh, you must be the people from the Order. We have a desperate situation here. There's…something in there and we can't stop it. Nothing we do is having any effect. Several of my men have been attacked after they went in there and they barely escaped with their lives."

"Are there any civilians left inside?"

"No, they all ran when that…thing appeared. We don't know where it came from but I suppose that's your area of expertise. We're counting on you now."

"And you won't be disappointed, Captain. We'll take care of everything. Anna, check your gear and get ready, we're going in."

Jim decided on a pair of Colt .45's for this particular encounter. He quickly loaded both and grabbed two extra clips from the ammo box, just in case he needed them. Anna decided to stick with her Thompson she brought along and following Jim's example, she also took two extra clips.

They approached the front door, and like knights about to enter the lair of a dragon to slay it, they entered into the dark interior of the bar. Their eyes eventually became used to the darkness and a scene of destruction greeted them. Tables were overturned, chairs were lying all over the place, and broken glass could often be heard crunching under their boots. The worst was yet to come; they found several bodies, many hideously mutilated by whatever creature had caused all this. Jim was used to the sight already. It was nothing strange to him; he had been in a war after all. He noticed that Anna, on the other hand, was looking a little pale.

"_I knew it. We haven't even started yet and look at her now. After this is over, she'll be like putty in my hands." _

Suddenly and without warning, Jim became aware that they were not alone in the room. A strange feeling came over him; something was watching them and slowly approaching from the darkness. It wasn't of this world, of that he was sure. He could almost feel where it was, faintly hear its breathing, just about make out its glowing red eyes as it was waiting for a chance to strike. Jim stood alert and Anna, noticing this, asked nervously, "What's wrong, Sir?"

"Get ready, we're not alone in here."

His eyes scanned the room, preparing for when their prey might strike. He could feel it slowly maneuvering its way around the room as if positioning for a better place to launch an attack from. That's when Jim realized it was actually aiming for the weakest link among them.

"Anna, look out! It's coming at you!"

The creature shrieked before it came pouncing from the darkness with lightning speed and charged straight at Anna. That was when her most valuable asset failed her; she squeezed the trigger on her gun only find it, to her horror, unresponsive. The creature continued its charge and tackled Anna through one of the glass windows at the front of the bar, shattering it into a thousand pieces. All this happened so fast that Jim had precious little time to respond. He fired several shots at the creature but it was surprisingly agile on its four legs.

"Damn it all, just stand still!"

He squeezed the trigger of his gun for another shot but a faint clicking was all he heard. He realized he was out of ammunition and had to reload but had to act fast in doing so. The creature was on top of Anna, snapping away with its mouth full of razor sharp teeth while she desperately tried to block him with her Thompson. The police officers witnessing the scene in front of them couldn't risk shooting for fear of harming Anna. Their weapons wouldn't have any effect either.

"_Goddamn it, why's this happening now!?"_

Jim desperately searched his pockets for the one thing that would put an end to all this: the Gospel bullet he had kept for situations such as these. But time was not on his side; the agile monster had managed to get a hold of Anna's Thompson, ripped it out of her hands and threw it to the side. He backed off for a moment, then jumped towards her, shrieking as he did so. In that same moment, Anna also screamed, fearing that tonight would be her last night on this earth.

Anna's scream triggered something in Jim; it echoed inside his head and the next thing he knew, time slowed down around him, as if the clock was ticking a bit slower than usual. Everything was happening in slow motion; he could still see the monster sailing through the air and Anna and the officers outside moving with delayed reaction.

"_What the….what's going on here? This is…Oh, to hell with it! I've got to save Anna! If I could just…Here it is!"_

He proceeded to load the Gospel bullet into his gun, aimed and fired. Since time had slowed down around him, he witnessed the muzzle flash and the bullet leaving the barrel, heading on a collision course with the monster that was still suspended in the air. The Gospel bullet destroyed its target on impact, reducing it to ashes from the inside out.

As suddenly as the slow motion had struck Jim, it left him again. Time resumed its normal flow; the ashes that were the remains of the creature were swept up by the light breeze and were blown further down the street. Some of those ashes fell on Anna, whose eyes were wide open from shock. She really thought she was going to meet her end this night. Within seconds, Jim was at his partner's side and asked her if she was okay. "Anna, are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?"

"I…think I'm okay. Just a few cuts and scratches."

That's when he saw how torn her clothes were. The monster must have been clawing away at her the whole time. Blood was running from every wound the monster had inflicted on her, coloring her clothes a dark red. Fortunately, an ambulance was on the scene and quickly gave Anna the medical attention she needed. Jim continued his investigations once he was satisfied she was taken care of, and made a few discoveries. He came across a ritual circle, like an aspiring demon worshipper would use, in one of the rooms which he confirmed belonged to the owner of the bar. His journal shed some light on how this had happened; the owner was part of a group of occultists operating in the city and successfully summoning a demon was part of the initiation process. It became clear that something must have gone wrong and the demon turned on the one who had summoned him and killed everyone its path. Jim also came across what was left of the bar's owner; he was literally ripped apart and nearly unrecognizable.

"_The last mistake you ever made, pal." _

The journal he had recovered would be a great help in tracking down the other members of the cult. Jim handed it over to the police captain and went to see how Anna was doing. The ambulance personnel had bandaged up every cut and scratch Anna had, and not long after they left the scene. Jim decided Anna had been through enough for tonight; it was best to take her home now. She sat next to him in the car wrapped in a blanket, seeing as her clothes were torn.

"Do you know why you're Thompson wasn't working, Anna?", Jim asked suddenly.

"I…don't know. It seemed to work fine before."

"I had a look at it before we left; the amount of dirt I found inside clogging the firing mechanism was enough for two Thompson's. By the way, is it the same Thompson you've been using all this time?"

"Yes, sir."

"When was the last time you took it apart and cleaned it a bit?"

"I'm…not sure."

"So what you're actually saying is that you've never taken it apart. You completely ignored that part of the training like you've been doing all along. I've been watching you and I am not happy with some of the things you've been doing, or put another way, the things you haven't been doing. You could've been dead if I wasn't there. Your lack of commitment is gonna be your downfall."

There was silence in the car after Jim finished with his speech. Anna was quiet; nothing she could say would make a difference because Jim was right. She had to admit to herself that she wasn't committed like she should have been. Nothing more was said until they arrived at the Monastery where Jim dropped Anna off at her dorm.

"You'd better get to bed, Anna. I'll see you tomorrow in training."

"Yes, Sir."

After that, Jim went to Sister Kate's office to report. He correctly assumed that she would still be there at this hour, and told her all that had happened.

"So Anna is fine now, Jim?"

"Yes, Sister Kate. Just a few cuts and scratches. She'll be ready for training tomorrow."

"It's a good thing you were there to intervene. I shudder to think what would have happened if she was there with another trainee just as inexperienced as she is."

"I was an idiot though."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Because I didn't take into account that she could have been in real danger. I took her along to try and get through to her, and look what happened, and I allowed it to happen. What kind of a trainer am I?"

"Now Jim, don't you think you're being just a bit too hard on yourself? You're new at this, of course you'll make mistakes."

"Yeah, but mistakes that nearly get people killed?"

"But everything worked out well in the end. Anna is safe and I'm sure she'll do better in training now."

"Maybe Anna isn't the problem. Maybe I am. It's pretty easy blaming other people for your failures but maybe I should be looking at myself before I point the finger at her again."

"Not another word of this! Jim, you are probably one of the best trainers we have ever had and I will not let you stand here and beat yourself up over this! All you need is a good night's rest. Now get yourself home and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Well, okay, if you say so."

"And if Anna slips up again you send her straight to me. If she won't listen to you I'm sure she'll listen to me. Her attitude is unacceptable."

On his way home, Jim thought about everything that had happened. He did not want to show it to Sister Kate, but he was worried. Not about Anna, but what had happened to him at the bar.

"_This is the second time it happened. What the hell is going on with me? This can't be normal. Since when does time slow down like that, twice? I'd better not tell Ewan about it or he's gonna make all kinds of assumptions. He already thinks there's something going on, and I'm the last one who wants to give him a reason to carry on looking for something that isn't there."_

The sound of a phone ringing brought him out of his train of thought. He quickly stopped the car and answered the phone on the ammo box. Sister Kate was on the other end and informed him of the situation: Two Sisters were in trouble at the New York harbor. They were suddenly attacked when they were investigating a smuggling operation which supposedly dealt in artifacts of demonic origin, and were under relentless assault. They wouldn't hold out for long and Jim was the only other unit they had in the area.

The engine came to life and roared as Jim stepped flat on the gas pedal. He hoped he would be able to avoid the police, because at the speed he was going he didn't think they would be too merciful on him even if he did work for the Order. Luckily, Jim reached the harbor at record speed without encountering any of New York's finest. In the distance, he could hear gunshots and headed in the direction it was coming from. The car came to a screeching halt as he came across the two Sisters. They were in a desperate situation as several of the same kinds of monster Jim had encountered earlier that night descended on them. Jim quickly loaded his pair of .45's and grabbed a few extra clips for the two Sisters since they would be low on ammunition by now. He fought his way through the waves of demons coming at them and finally reached the two Sisters who were only too glad to see him and the ammunition he brought them.

"Are you our backup? Sister Kate said somebody was coming to help us."

"Yeah, and here's some ammo for ya. I reckoned you could use some."

"Thank you very much, but we don't have time to talk. Here they come again!"

Jim was not slow in joining in the heated battle. They stood their ground for the next five minutes as they were attacked again and again until there were only a few stragglers who were easily disposed of.

"It's a good thing I forgot to put away the ammo box when I was at the Order. Don't know what would've happened if I hadn't. Just what are you guys doing here anyway?", Jim asked one of the Sisters.

"We were conducting an investigation. There's a smuggling operation going on that's dealing in old relics and artifacts, and anyone with the right contacts and enough money can easily get hold of them. We have reason to believe that some of those artifacts are of demonic origin and the last thing we want is somebody getting their hands on one of those. As far as we know they're operating out of the harbor."

Their conversation was cut short when Jim felt someone watching them, just like what happened at the bar. He spun around and saw a man some distance away staring at them, but in the dark it was hard to make out any features, except for the glowing red eyes.

"_This can only mean one thing: A demon using a human disguise." _

The mysterious man slowly approached them. "So…you managed to defeat my minions. I salute you. You have managed something very few have been able to handle. But I'm afraid you're luck ends here, because no one ever gets past me!"

Without warning, the disguised demon came charging at them, baring its fangs, revealing claws where its fingers would have been. Strangely enough, Jim was not alarmed at all. Somehow, he was calm and unafraid, as if he knew what the outcome would be. Even though the demon was charging at them at lighting speed, Jim still took his time in loading a Gospel bullet into his .45.

The two Sisters, on the other hand, were staring at Jim like he was crazy. One of them said to Jim, "It's coming at you."

"Yeah, I know", was the only response Jim gave.

"It's still getting closer."

"Yeah, I know."

"But I really think you should-"

"I KNOW, OKAY!"

The timing was perfect. The demon charged straight into the barrel of the .45. Jim shoved it into its mouth, smiled, and pulled the trigger. The demon's head spurted blood and the force of the blow coupled with the power of the Gospel bullet sent him flying backwards through the air before he came crashing down on the ground. Somehow, Jim's victim was still alive, but even he knew it wouldn't last long. He was probably a higher level demon than the ones you usually get, the ones with the reasoning abilities and capable of speech. Its high level of power kept it from being totally destroyed by the Gospel bullet, but the wounds it sustained would be its end. Jim had to ask his questions now while he still could.

As Jim approached his prey, he looked at Jim as if he had made some kind of major discovery. "Its…you. You've finally returned…just like he said you would. My master knew this day would come, when he finally…settles the score with you that has been in the making for so…long already."

To say that Jim was confused would be putting it mildly. He had absolutely no idea what was going on and his facial expression reflected this.

"What the hell are you talking about? What's any of this got to do with me? Who's you're master?"

"You really don't know….do you? I am the greatest of my master's servants….and yet you…defeated me easily. No other human has ever defeated me. You were unafraid, you did not run. Only you could ever have a chance of defeating me…because you are…"

"Because I'm what!? Damn it all, you'd better tell me what's going on or this next bullet is gonna have your name on it!"

"Because you are…the Judge. Yes, I can see it. It definitely is you, there is no mistaking it. You will know everything…soon…"

Before Jim could ask him anymore questions, he breathed his last and what was left of him turned into ash. There was nothing left for Jim to do but to go home. The events of that night would not stop haunting him, and as a result he did not sleep well. He had a thousand questions but no one to give him the answers. First among those questions were: who was the Judge? And what did he have to do with Jim?

Unbeknownst to Jim, this was just the beginning…


End file.
